Origins: Destiny in the Mountains
by MarieCarro
Summary: Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures. However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR
1. Prologue 1921 - 1930

**A/N:**

Here it is guys! Our beloved Emmett's story starts here.

This is the only chapter written in third person. After, everything is in Emmett POV.

So this is just a small preview, but you'll get Chapter 1 tomorrow, so don't be sad that this one is so short, okay?

 **Title:** Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

 **Author:** MarieCarro

 **Beta:** Alice's White Rabbit

 **Pre-reader:** OnlyInValhalla

 **Genre:** Family/Supernatural

 **Rating:** NC-17

 **Summary:** Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

 **Chapter Word Count:** 1, 321

* * *

 **PROLOGUE**

 **1921 - 1930**

The day Beatrice Louise McCarty was born in 1921 was a day of great happiness for the entire McCarty family for many reasons. One of them was the excitement of having a girl in the family.

The children became rowdy and unruly when they got the news of a younger sister, but the youngest of the three boys, Emmett, was the one who was the most awed by the small girl. For the longest time, he had been the baby of the family, but now, he was a big brother as well.

Brian and Fiona McCarty rejoiced that they had finally been blessed with a girl, but they were also worried over the new addition to their already too-large family. They had a difficult time providing for the children they already had, and the new baby was going to be a challenge.

Little Emmett had just turned six years old, and he was still clinging hard to his mom. He was too young to do any heavy chores around the house other than to help feed the pigs and goats, and while the older boys, Gavin and Ian, had begun pulling their share of the weight by working at the local mill, the income was tight.

Most nights, when the children had fallen asleep, Fiona and Brian lay in their bed, tired to the point of passing out, but their anxiety kept them awake.

"Maybe ye could—"

"No, Fiona, I will not beg my parents for help," Brian insisted tensely. "They stopped being my parents when they put me out on the street for marryin' you."

"But that was so long ago, Brian. And they have grandchildren now. Wouldn't they want to help them?"

Brian turned to his side and stroked his wife's cheek gently. "Our children are half-Scottish and American-born. My parents will never accept that. Just as your parents will never accept you took yourself an Irish husband." He kissed her nose lovingly. "We'll make do. As we always have."

Fortunately, Brian was right. The family got by; never living in luxury by any means, but they had enough to survive.

As the boys grew up, it became obvious all of them had inherited their father's build, and even at the young age of fourteen, Emmett had already reached a height of 5'9, and he continued to grow.

Beatrice loved that her older brothers were so big, especially when they took turns lifting her up in the air, which they did often because they loved hearing her laugh.

While the girl adored all of her brothers, she and Emmett held a special bond. Gavin and Ian, who were twelve and ten years older than her, had already started working at the mill when she was born, but she grew up with Emmett at home.

Emmett loved his little sister like no other, but it saddened him that she would never receive the opportunities richer folks did. Instead of going to school full-time, she mostly stayed at home and helped their mother. She became a marvelous cook instead of learning to read properly, and she could mend a shirt faster than a girl of the same age could write the alphabet.

Despite his young age, the second Emmett started working at the mill with his brothers, he knew of the things people did in order to just survive. His first day at work had been celebrated with his brothers down at the local pub in Gatlinburg. Neither of them had been nearly old enough to drink, but the bar owner didn't care about age as long as they paid their bill. His entire business was illegal as it was because of the prohibition anyway.

Luckily, Gatlinburg was rarely visited by the state authorities and the mayor himself was a regular at the bar, so no one was particularly afraid of retribution for their immoral way of life.

It was at that pub that Emmett first witnessed the wild side. He saw local men gambling and playing cards while throwing back shots. He saw the waitresses flirt with the patrons and follow them home after closing hours.

Fiona hated that her older sons had led her youngest boy down that path, but Brian said she shouldn't worry about it. When Gavin and Ian started working at the mill, Emmett was left home alone with the women, and Brian insisted he needed this to come of age as a man.

Of course, Fiona disagreed, but she kept her mouth shut after that. She didn't want to question her husband on how to raise their boys.

It was in October of 1929 that the McCarty family feared they would lose everything.

They had never had much, but with the stock market crash, they lost what little they had. The house was seized by the bank, and only after Fiona begged them to allow the family to stay since they had nowhere else to go, effectively tugging on the banker's heartstrings, did they feel as if they could possibly come through.

The mill where the boys worked had to close, and all three of them lost their jobs. Brian lost his job at the timber factory and tried desperately to get a new job in the gem mines up in the mountains, but he wasn't the only one who had that idea, and there were no open positions.

The McCarty's had no choice but to ask Fiona and Beatrice to make clothes that could be sold at the markets, and the boys learned how to trap and hunt both smaller and big game. It provided them with skins and furs to use for the lining of gloves and hats, as well as sturdy jackets that stood against time's wear and tear.

It was a hard life, but whatever was thrown their way, the family always attempted to keep the atmosphere around the dinner table light to keep them all from falling into complete despair.

"I sold two shirts and a vest today," Beatrice announced proudly. "I'll have to make more soon."

"That is wonderful, lass," Brian praised her, his Irish accent still heavy despite the many years in America.

"She's a natural marketer," Fiona continued. "That man, Byron, tried to bargain with her, but she dinna relent."

"Let's all make certain she only sells clothes, though," Gavin commented crudely, which caused both Ian and Emmett to bite their tongues to keep from laughing.

"Ay," Fiona reprimanded angrily. "I dinna want to hear such talk about yer wee sister. Behave!"

Gavin held up his hands with a grin. "I didn't say anythin'. It's not my fault you jumped to conclusions about what I said."

Fiona narrowed her eyes at her oldest. "We all know what ye meant, and I said I dinna want to hear it. I dinna care ye're a man now, Gavin. I am still yer mother and will skelp yer behind!"

Gavin's ears turned red, and Ian and Emmett snickered at him.

"Calm down, dearie," Brian said and placed his hand over his wife's. "Gavin was only jesting. No harm, no foul."

Fiona huffed, and to show her displeasure, she pulled her hand out from under Brian's and ate the rest of her dinner in silence, only conversing with Beatrice.

Gavin knew he had upset his mother, and he felt guilty, but that night, he convinced his brothers they were going to make it up to her.

The next morning, Fiona watched in confusion as the boys took care of their own dishes, and before they left for another day of job searching, each one placed a kiss on her cheek and told her they loved her.

Emmett lingered and made sure Beatrice wasn't listening when he leaned over and whispered in his mother's ear.

"I'll make sure Bea never has to resort to that life," he vowed. "You have my word."

* * *

 **A/N:**

As you can see, his loyalty and need to protect started early. Also, it's quite clear from where he got his teasing nature. Obviously with two older brothers, he was bound to pick up a thing or two xD

As I said up top, you'll get Chapter 1 tomorrow, but I really hope you'll leave a little sentence of what you thought of this beginning.

See ya tomorrow

As always,

Stay Awesome


	2. Chapter 1 June 26th - June 27th 1934

**A/N:**

This chapter will show you Emmett's womanizing ways, as well as his carefree nature around gambling and drinking.

Also, a few southern sayings and words will pop up here, and while I know most of my readers are from the States, if you are, like me, not from America, there's a dictionary at the bottom to explain what they mean ;-)

 **Title:** Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

 **Author:** MarieCarro

 **Beta:** Alice's White Rabbit

 **Pre-reader:** OnlyInValhalla

 **Genre:** Family/Supernatural

 **Rating:** NC-17

 **Summary:** Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

 **Chapter Word Count:** 2, 456

* * *

 **CHAPTER 1**

 **TUESDAY, JUNE 26** **th –** **WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27** **th** **1934**

"Dammit!"

"Sorry, Greg," I said triumphantly. "Spades trump anythin'." I laughed and collected the money pot for the round.

Greg shot up from his seat and glowered at me. I saw his hand clench into a fist, and I leaned forward on the table to get closer to him.

"Go ahead," I taunted, hoping he would take the bait. "Hit me."

Few men had the nerve to fight me or my brothers. Working at the mill while growing up, lugging heavy sacks of grain around, had made us strong early, and after the mill closed after the stock crash five years ago, the three of us had eventually found jobs with the railroads.

The continued heavy labor had aided our growth further, and most men feared us.

Greg looked like a common fool, though, and I was looking forward to his next move.

I didn't want to scare him off too early, so I refrained from displaying the muscles in my arms the way I normally would have, but they didn't go unnoticed by him despite my efforts.

It was easy to see when he lost his nerve, but he tried to keep face by cracking his neck and scoffing.

"Forget it. It's not worth it." He turned his back to me to leave, but I couldn't keep myself from one last try.

"You sure about that? Seems like a whole lot of money I just won off you!" I said loudly to make the whole bar aware of the situation, and every man stopped what he was doing in anticipation of the fight they hoped would happen.

However, before anything could happen, one of the waitresses came up to me and stroked my shoulder.

"Emmett, please don't. This bar can't afford new furniture again."

I looked at her. "Oh, Betty, I wasn't goin' to break any furniture," I reassured her, but at the same time, I snaked my hand around her waist and pinched her bottom. She squeaked in surprise, and I grinned. "At least, not while fightin'," I continued suggestively, and it made her giggle.

"You're so bad, Emmett," she sighed, but it was obvious she enjoyed my advances. "What am I supposed to do with you?"

"Anythin' you want, sugar."

She hit my shoulder playfully before she collected the empty glasses on my table and went back to the bar.

The money I'd won disappeared into my pockets, and I stood up to go back to the table where my friends sat.

"I wished so hard Greg would've hit you," Jack said. "It would've wiped that self-righteous smile off your face. I'm tired of you always winnin'."

"That's not what self-righteous means," Sam interjected. "I think the word you're looking for is smug."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Sam. I didn't come here to get a lesson in English."

"I'm just saying—"

I hurriedly interrupted him. "Just let it go, Sammy. I got what Jack meant."

He shrugged and took a sip of his drink. "You know, Clara won't be happy when she hears you're frolicking with Betty," he said, and it caused me to scoff.

"Me and Clara aren't exclusive. I made that clear to her from the start. If she's gotten it into her head we're halfway down the aisle, that's not on me," I defended myself.

"She's been puttin' up with your ugly mug for two years now, so you can't really blame her for believin' things," Jack jumped in. "Why are you stringin' the girl along anyway? Unless you intend to marry her?"

I threw out my hands. "Look at me. I'm at a bar gettin' bagged on a Tuesday after a long day at the railroads. I'm still livin' with my folks and my brothers in a house we don't own. I'm as poor as a church mouse and have absolutely nothin' to offer a girl." I downed the last of my drink. "Besides, being a cajoler is a hell of a lot more fun than settlin' down, don't y'all agree?"

"Tell that to Clara," Sam mumbled.

I didn't reply. Instead, I waved Betty over and asked her to bring us another round.

"Celebratin' now, are you?" she asked.

"Always."

She left to get us our drinks, and when she put them on the table, she leaned over to whisper in my ear. "My shift ends at midnight if you want to come over to my place." She played with the hair at the nape of my neck, and I smiled at her appreciatively.

"You won't hear me say no to an offer like that."

Betty left again, and Jack groaned next to me. "How do you do it? Girls won't even look at me, and I'm not a hillbilly like you. I still live in town."

I laughed, not taking offense from his insult. "It's because you're too big for your britches, Jack. You need to liven up a bit."

"Only you can live the way you do without dyin'," he said. "Greg would have beat up any other person who'd won his money from him, but not you."

I shrugged, unbothered. "I reckon I have luck on my side then. And there can only be one of me in this town."

"Thank God for that," he said, and it earned him a playful hit on the head, and although I knew I used a bit more force than necessary, I felt he deserved it.

After all, he called me and my family hillbillies.

Only a couple of hours later, Sam and Jack decided it was time for them to go home.

"Don't wear yourself out with Betty tonight," Sam urged me. "You and I are hunting tomorrow no matter how rotten you feel in the morning."

Jack shook his head. "Y'all are crazy for huntin' in the mountains these days. The park rangers patrol all over."

I just grinned at him and answered Sam. "I never miss a hunt," I reminded him. "And, Jack, you can tell your father my dad has his order ready. He can come by our place anytime."

"Dad'll be glad to hear that. He says your dad's stuff is the only bearable in the county."

"It's a strong batch, though," I warned. "So don't go chuggin' it first thing."

Jack laughed. "I'll make sure to let him know that. See ya at work!"

"See ya."

I ordered one last drink, even though I knew I shouldn't have. The more money I spent, the less it meant I could give to my family. It made me feel guilty every time, but I also loved living the way I did. I had promised myself, though, that if things ever got so bad we literally needed every penny to survive, I would stop drinking and gambling.

But until then, I was going to enjoy it.

Starting with going home with Betty.

 **{=DITM=}**

Betty stirred in bed as I pulled on my jeans, and then she opened one eye tiredly.

"Mhm, what are you doin' up so early?" she asked softly and stretched her supple body tantalizingly.

I wished I could shed my clothes once more and join her, but I had promised Sam we'd hunt, and my family expected me to check the traps before heading to work. So I regretfully leaned over and kissed her while also giving her ample bottom one last squeeze.

"Sorry, sugar. I'd rather spend a few more hours with you, but I promised Sam."

She turned to look out the window. "It's still night out," she complained.

"A hunter needs to start early," I explained and stood up again to put on my shirt. "Before the beasts go into hidin' again."

She huffed. "Your loss, darlin'. I guess I'll see you at the bar. Make sure the door is closed when you leave."

I chuckled and laced up my boots before pulling my suspenders into place. The lining of my jeans was frayed and distressed, but I couldn't afford new clothes, so suspenders were a must or I'd walk around and show everyone my hide.

Not that it'd matter to me, but people in town generally frowned at that sort of behavior. Especially from hillbillies. And it didn't make it better that Dad was Irish either.

I remembered the first time I took real notice of how people in town shunned him just because of where he was from. It had been before the stock crash and during the time when we had still been able to afford some education for me and Bea.

 _The teacher had called my name in class and grimaced. "McCarty? That name Irish?"_

" _Yes, sir," I'd replied in my Tennessee twang. "My dad's from Ireland."_

 _Another grimace had marred the man's face, and he'd scoffed before continuing down the list of names._

I hadn't understood it back then, but I'd asked Dad about it. He'd told me to not worry about it, and I didn't until after the stock crash and he lost his job at the timber factory. Each time he came home after a long day of hunting a new job, he'd told us they simply didn't have any open positions, but the truth was that the business owners in town simply didn't want to hire an Irish hillbilly.

The same applied to me and my brothers. It was somewhat easier for us since we were born in America, and we didn't sound Irish, but our name haunted us wherever we went.

Jack and Sam were the only friends I had who had never made a big deal of my heritage, and I was endlessly grateful for it. Before them, my family had strictly stuck with each other, and I knew Bea was the one suffering the most for it.

She was growing up, and the only female company she had was our mother. While Mama did her best, my biggest nightmare was that because Bea was such an outsider and most likely wouldn't catch a husband on her own, she would resort to whoring in order to garner men's attention when the time came.

I wasn't above prostitution. I had bought my fair share of gillies since I was sixteen. I just didn't want my little sister living that life.

I met Sam at the foot of the mountains, and he was appraising me suspiciously.

"You ain't feeling the bottle-ache, are you?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

I grinned at him. "Never do, Sammy. Besides, best cure is a warm hash-slinger's legs wrapped around your waist."

He rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't know. Unlike you, I enjoy being faithful."

"Nobody ain't two-timin' here," I protested. "I told you, Clara and I aren't a couple."

He sighed. "I told you before, and I'll tell you again. You need to let Clara know that. No matter if you told her or not, she believes it. She's been talking to Martha, and she doesn't understand why you haven't popped the question yet."

I hoisted one of the rifles over my shoulder. "Fine. I will. Now can we get to huntin'?"

Sam shouldered his own rifle, and we started wandering uphill.

A few hours later, I was handing the bounty of the day to Mama: one turkey and three hares.

"Sam didn't find any big game either," I apologized for the measly gifts. "I'll go fishin' after work, and I should be able to catch a few bass and some crappies as well. Maybe even a walleye."

"Ye've done great, Emmett," Mama praised, her Scottish accent as strong as ever. "Gavin came home with a deer, and Ian is still out. Get inside and have some breakfast before ye go. I dinna want ye to go hungry at work."

"Thanks, Mama."

I did as I was told and found Bea adding honey to a dough. She hadn't heard me enter, and I took advantage of that by circling my arms around her waist and spinning her around while she shrieked and laughed.

"Emmett, you damn near scared me to death," she exclaimed, but she didn't push me away when I kissed her cheek as an apology.

"You'll live," I assured her teasingly. "Smells wonderful in here. What're you making?"

"Hot cross buns with honey."

I moaned. "Please, save some for me."

"I can't," she said. "I'm only makin' them to sell."

"Oh, but, Bea, please," I begged. "Your hot buns are the best."

Bea looked around as well as out the window to see where Mama was before she handed me a warm, wrapped package. "I made those for you, Ian, and Gavin earlier. Take them with you to work, but don't let Mama know. She'll have a hissy fit if she finds out."

I gave her another kiss and hurriedly placed the packet in my bag. "You know how much I love you, don't you?"

She smiled. "You only say that 'cause I'm feedin' you."

I shook my head in a moment of seriousness. "That's only one of the reasons."

"Well, I reckon I love you, too, then," she replied, and I laughed.

"What a relief!"

I ate the breakfast that had been put out, and then I went to one of the two bedrooms in the house—the one I shared with my brothers—to change my shirt since I'd been wearing the same one now for a week.

Later at work, I showed Gavin and Ian the buns, and both of them started salivating before devouring theirs like a pair of starving wolves.

"One day, Bea will make a man very happy," Ian said with his mouth full of bread.

"If she finds one in these parts of the country, that is," Gavin reminded him. After all, I wasn't the only one who was worried about our sister's future.

Ian shifted uncomfortably at the reminder that our family wasn't fully accepted. "Anyone can see that Bea's the best kind of gal. Any Joe would be lucky to land her as his wife," he said sullenly.

"And _we_ know that," Gavin said. "The pickle is to convince others of it, too."

"Bea's only thirteen," I piped in, hoping to end the conversation. "She's got plenty of time for men later. Right now, the three of us should be glad it's us she's feedin'."

My brother's exchanged a look, and then smiled.

"Yeah, I reckon you're right about that," Ian said, much happier than the second before, and the three of us finished our lunch before going back to work.

* * *

 **A/N:**

What do you guys think of this first little insight into Emmett's head? He might be a womanizer, but he'll always care for his family. Just look at how he is with his sister and how much her worries about her.

That trait will definitely follow along into his vampire life ;-)

 **Southern Phrases Dictionary:**

 _ **Sugar**_ _– Term of endearment often used in the south_

 _ **Frolicking**_ _– Playing Around_

 _ **Getting bagged**_ _– Getting drunk_

 _ **As poor as a church mouse**_ _– Very, very poor_

 _ **Cajoler**_ _– Player_

 _ **Too big for your britches**_ _– Too Serious_

 _ **Gillies**_ _– Prostitutes_

 _ **Bottle-ache**_ _– Hungover_

 _ **Hash-slinger**_ _– Waitress_

 _ **Two-timing**_ _– Cheating_

 _ **Hissy fit –**_ _Get very upset_

 _ **Any Joe**_ _– Any guy_

As always,

Stay Awesome!


	3. Chapter 2 April 5th - April 10th 1935

**A/N:**

If you're in my group on Facebook, you might remember that I had some trouble solving Emmett's birthday.

Because, you know, he's supposed to be frozen at 20 years old, meaning he'd already turned twenty at the time of his change, however, Edward mentions in New Moon that the last time they celebrated a birthday was for Emmett in 1935.

This got me thinking and I made it into a 2-part solution and you'll read the first part right here :)

 **Title:** Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

 **Author:** MarieCarro

 **Beta:**

 **Pre-reader:**

 **Genre:** Family/Supernatural

 **Rating:** NC-17

 **Summary:** Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 2**

 **FRIDAY, APRIL 5** **th –** **WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10** **th** **1935**

I was woken up by a splash of ice-cold water on my face, and I sat up with a gasp.

"Rise and shine, birthday boy," Gavin said with a grin, an empty cup in his hand, which he'd used to throw the water on me.

My attempt to glare deadly at him fell short since I looked too much like a drowned cat where I sat soaking wet on the ground. "It would've been nice with a gentler wake-up," I told him, but it only caused him to laugh.

"Birthdays don't indicate that I suddenly have to be nice with you, little brother. You want to be woken up gently? You should have stayed in Helen's bed yesterday mornin'."

"I would have, but Dad didn't exactly give me a choice," I grumbled.

Gavin shrugged. "Of course, he didn't. If we can track down the fox who killed those chickens, it might mean our family will finally be completely accepted by the townsfolk."

I huffed. "That's a dream if I've ever heard one."

"Could you at least try to be positive about it?" Gavin shot out in annoyance. "For Dad's sake? You know how much this means to him."

A heavy sigh left me. "Okay, I will."

"Good. Here." He threw a package at me. "Mama and Bea packed something extra for you for your birthday." He left the tent and I unwrapped the package. My smile couldn't be held back when I saw the two cherry tarts that had crumbled a bit from Gavin's rough handling.

I took a bite and moaned when I understood Mama had actually used real sugar instead of honey. We only ever kept the smallest amount of sugar in the house because of the food rations. That Mama and Bea had used some of that sugar to make these tarts for me meant a great deal.

I decided I wanted to keep one tart for later, so I wrapped that back up and put it in my pocket before lacing up my boots and joining the others outside by the fire.

Dad stood up when he saw me and clapped my back proudly. "Happy Birthday, my boy." He smiled. "I should have brought some of my last batch with me, and we could have toasted."

"It's no big deal, Dad," I assured him. "We can toast when we go back home."

"Of course, it's a big deal," he protested. "It is not every day your youngest boy turns twenty. And it's not every day I have all three of my boys with me on a hunting trip."

"I mean it," I assured him again with a chuckle. "We will celebrate with Mama and Bea when we go back home, and this is certainly not my last birthday either. We have plenty of time to celebrate."

 **{=DITM=}**

I furrowed my brow as I studied the buck on the ground, its black eyes open and unseeing in death. The broken neck confused me, and the wound wasn't like anything I had ever seen before. What was even stranger was that there was no blood on the ground around it either.

I had never come across a beast who killed its prey but left the meat behind because, apart from the broken neck and the fleshy bite mark, the deer appeared untouched.

"Emmett?" Ian said behind me. "You found somethin'?"

"Take a look at this, Ian," I said and nodded at the carcass on the ground. "You ever seen anythin' like this before?"

"A dead deer, you mean?" he asked and looked at me as if I'd lost my mind.

"No," I retorted frustratingly. "I mean how it's been killed and left behind. I've never seen bite marks like those before."

"Me neither, but there are a lot of animals in these mountains we have no idea about, little brother," he said and turned to leave the way he came. "Don't give yourself a headache thinkin' of this. We still need to find that fox's den."

I turned and followed him back to our camp, but I was unable to stop thinking of that deer for the rest of the day.

 **{=DITM=}**

"You need to stop thinkin' of that beast," Ian said tiredly. "Whatever it is, none of us have come upon it before, which means we should stay away from it."

"It's not natural in the way it kills," I insisted. "And it's untraceable. It leaves nothin' behind except its kill. There's no logic to its prey. We've found both deer and wolves with the same marks and—"

"Emmett," Ian stopped me. "We've finished what we came here to do, which was to track the fox that killed those chickens. We found the right one, there were even chicken feathers in its den, and now it's dead. Tomorrow, we're goin' home, so I tell you: Let. It. Go."

I shook my head. "I can't. If that _thing_ out there decides the mountains aren't good for it anymore, it might wander into town and start killin' people. I can't have that on my conscience."

"And what if it's just a bear? Or a panther?"

"It's neither," I said certainly. "A bear would leave claw marks, and the bites would have been larger. These bites aren't bigger than a human's. And panther's eat the heart first, but the chests are always intact. Besides, you know as well as me that there are no panthers left up here." I stared into the darkening forest beyond the burning fire. "I'm tellin' you, somethin' ain't right."

Ian sighed. "If you say so. I'm goin' to catch myself some sleep if you take the first watch."

I nodded. "I can't sleep anyway."

"Well, wake me up in a few hours then."

It only took minutes before Ian's snores joined Dad's and Gavin's, and I was left alone to keep a lookout and make sure the fire didn't die down. My head played games with me, and suddenly, I thought every rustle of the leaves and snap of twigs around us meant the beast was watching me.

I tightened the hold on my rifle, my finger hovering close to the trigger. "Come on out if you dare," I mumbled into the quiet night, but of course, nothing happened.

 **{=DITM=}**

"It has become an obsession for you," Ian complained while Gavin and Dad stood a few feet away from us, wondering over my delay. "What if it's nothin'?"

"You know it ain't nothin', Ian," I argued. "You've seen the same as I have, and I'm not imaginin' it."

"We cannot leave you out here alone."

"Why not?" I questioned. "I've hunted on my own plenty of times. This would be nothin' new."

"Not this deep in the mountains. You're helpless out here. If somethin' happens, you'll be dead before word even gets back to town that you need help. And what if you're caught by the rangers? Since this became a national park, we're not exactly allowed to hunt here anymore."

"What are you two yappin' about?" Gavin asked and walked over to us.

Ian looked at him and saw the opportunity for some backup. "Our little brother's got it in his head that he's stayin' back to track down this ' _beast'_ he believes haunts the mountains."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I'm not believin' any—"

"Hold your horses there, Emmett," Gavin interrupted me. "Why is this so important to you? What's so special with this beast that you can't let it go? You've been grindin' your teeth over it for close to a week now."

"I just know there's somethin' out there," I told him tightly. "None of you believe me, but I'll prove it to you, if I have to, by bringin' it home with a bullet between its eyes."

Gavin groaned. "Emmett, you don't have to prove anythin' to us. We believe it when you say there's somethin', but we're just not certain we should mess with it." He clapped his hand on my shoulder. "You're our little brother, and we don't want anythin' happenin' to you."

I shrugged away from his hand. "That's it, though. I'm not just your little brother anymore. I'm a man now, too, yet all of you still treat me like a boy. You've talked over me this entire trip and told me over and over that I am wrong about this. Well, I know I'm not, and if this is what it takes for you to see it, then that's what I'll do."

Both Ian and Gavin could see there was no changing my mind. They made one last attempt by bringing Dad into the conversation, but he couldn't argue against it either.

Eventually, Dad sighed. "Well, Gavin and Ian pretty much wanted the same when they were your age, so I can't say I'm surprised. Doesn't mean I like the thought of you wandering around these mountains on your own."

"I'll take care of myself, Dad," I said.

"I don't doubt that," he said and shook his head. "Just promise me one thing, my boy."

I immediately nodded. "Of course."

"Don't let this swallow you. Search for this thing for a few days, and even if you don't find anything, promise me you'll turn back home. Can you do that?"

I didn't want to promise that because it would feel like a giant failure if I came home empty-handed, but I also knew I had to assuage all three of them somehow.

My hesitation was drawn out, though, and Dad squeezed my shoulder.

"Please, Emmett, promise me this. Our family needs you in one piece. Your mother will already have my head for leaving you behind. And we still need to celebrate your birthday properly."

I inhaled deeply. "Okay. Three days at most," I told him. "Then I'll turn around."

None of them liked it, but they accepted it, and after saying that we'd see each other back home in a week, they mounted their horses and started their journey down the mountain as I went in the opposite direction on my own horse, my rifle over my shoulder.

I hoped I would find something that would attest to what I'd said to my family, but what I hadn't told them was that I was also terrified. I had always prided myself as being a skilled hunter. I could easily distinguish one footprint from another and marks left on trees or what animal left what kind of dropping.

All of that, I could recite in my sleep.

Yet this was new to me, and I hadn't thought that was possible before. I was blind as I tracked this … whatever it was, and there was nothing that could tell me what would happen if I actually came across it.

I acted tough in front of my brothers and father, but a huge part of me also knew how foolish this really was of me.

It was too late to turn back now, though.

 **{=DITM=}**

I lay on my back and stared up at the clear night sky, and I felt content. The fish I'd caught for dinner was roasting over the fire, and the heat from the flames prevented me from being cold. The crackling of the burning wood, and the occasional snort from the horse, was the only sound, and while I was a social person, the quiet didn't disturb me.

In other words, life, at that particular moment, couldn't have been better. Up in the mountains, there was no poverty, no fear of the future, and no stain on my name or heritage.

Up here, I was just Emmett.

I turned my head to the side and decided the fish was ready. It was on the smaller side, much less than what I usually ate to keep myself full, but something happened to me when I was out in the wild. It was as if my body instinctively knew that supplies were much sparser here than at home and that it had to make due on the small amount of food I gave it.

As I ate my dinner, I watched the show the fireflies put on for me with appreciation. The huntsman in me, the man who just loved the wild nature, reveled in the beauty surrounding me, and it caused me to feel more tranquil than I'd ever felt when I was out hunting with Sam or my brothers.

With any of them, everything turned into a competition. It was always about who shot the biggest game, or caught the largest fish, or tracked the fastest. We often forgot to just stop and take in everything that was around us.

It was one of the reasons why I couldn't truly regret being poor. If I'd been born into riches, I most likely would never have learned how to hunt or fish, much like Jack. Venturing out into the wild wouldn't have been natural, and I'd have felt out of place.

Not now. I knew how to move around nature better than how to move around people.

I let out a whistle and listened to it echo weakly out into the trees.

Feeling adequately satisfied with my dinner, I lay back down and closed my eyes. The first day hadn't shown me any luck in finding the beast I was tracking, but I hadn't expected it to, either. Such a beast, who was a master at covering its tracks, was most likely very good at hiding as well.

I hoped the next day would bring me closer, and I would be able to return to my family. As much as I enjoyed the slight solitude, I had great respect for the mountains and all the hidden traps I could get caught in. No one from town usually embarked this far up, and essentially, it was undiscovered land. The Cherokee tribe might have, but no one I knew.

Sleep eventually took a hold of me, and I dreamt of changing skies, strange bite marks, and cherry tarts.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Thoughts?

I know this chapter is rather foreboding, so I know you guys already know what's coming up!

As Always,

Stay Awesome!


	4. Chapter 3 April 13th - April 17th 1935

**A/N:**

Brace yourselves because this is a violent chapter! It's time for Emmett to meet his Destiny!

 **Title:** Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

 **Author:** MarieCarro

 **Beta:** Alice's White Rabbit

 **Pre-reader:** OnlyInValhalla

 **Genre:** Family/Supernatural

 **Rating:** NC-17

 **Summary:** Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 3**

 **SATURDAY, APRIL 13** **th** **– WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17** **th** **1935**

I quietly trekked through the trees on foot and listened to any sounds that could indicate my feeling of not being alone wasn't false. There was a presence close by. It was impossible to determine if it was just another animal or if it was the beast.

As slow as I could possibly move, and with as little sound as I could muster, I raised my rifle and cocked the hammer while my finger hovered over the trigger. Then, I froze. I barely blinked as I waited.

My feet ached and my arms burned from their fixed position, yet I didn't move a muscle.

A sudden rustle caused me to turn to my left quickly and aim toward the fleeing animal. One shot, and the deer went down.

I sighed.

It wasn't the beast I'd thought, but at least, I'd have something more than just berries and herbs to give Mama when I got back home.

I heaved the dead deer over my shoulder, and the weight of it made me glad I had the horse. She snorted in displeasure under the extra weight but calmed quickly so I could sit up and start my journey back home.

It was a disappointment that I hadn't been able to track down the predator I was certain still roamed the mountains, but I had been away from home long enough. Mama and Bea needed help around our small farm, and since I hadn't been to my job for over a week, we'd lost that income as well.

There was no choice for me, really. It didn't matter that I yearned to stay until I could find the beast. My family needed me too much for any extended absence to be possible.I simply had to swallow my pride and get myself back to them.

I steered the horse down the slope of the hill where I'd thought the beast had its lair, and suddenly, she recoiled back and snorted in distress.

"Easy, girl," I said and tried to calm her by gently stroking her neck, but it didn't help. I could feel how tense she was underneath me. Still, I urged her forward because it was the only path we could take.

I took a look around to see if I could determine what had scared her, but there was nothing. She didn't appear to be completely certain either as her ears shifted back and forth, trying to listen and find where the threat she felt was.

"Come on now. Let's get outta here."

She took a tentative step forward and then another.

Nothing happened, and I was convinced she'd only heard another animal passing by, and it had taken her off , I made sure my rifle was in my reach.

As the two of us continued forward, though, I made the dumb mistake of losing my focus and not paying attention to my surroundings. There was no excuse for it at all because I was well rested, and despite my smaller portions of food, I wasn't particularly hungry.

An experienced huntsman like myself knew how deadly it could be to lose awareness.

The appearance of the huge black bear was sudden, and there was no time for me to react before my horse reared up in fright and threw me off. I landed on my back, and my breath was knocked out of me, and as I lay there and tried to pull air into my lungs, I saw my horse flee away with everything, including my only defense: my rifle.

My vision was blurry, and I wasn't certain where the bear was, but I knew he was close. I couldn't just stay on the ground and wait for him to attack again, so in an attempt to get away, while still gasping, I rolled over onto my stomach to crawl.

It was another dumb mistake on my part because that position meant my back was unprotected, and while I didn't see the bear descend on me and grab my leg with his mouth, I sure felt it, but my scream of pain was weak and pathetic.

My heart hammered hard in my chest, and both sweat and tears wet my cheeks. I grabbed the roots of a nearby tree and tried to pull myself free, but it did nothing as his claws mauled my shoulder and tore up my clothes.

I was helpless and defenseless. There was nothing I could do, and the only thing I could think of was how stupid I'd been when I convinced my family to allow me to stay behind on my own.

My entire body hurt and burned. When I finally regained my voice, my scream didn't do any good. A foolish notion of mine was that the sound would somehow scare the bear away, but on the contrary, it appeared to enrage him further, and his teeth and claws dug deeper into my flesh.

Blood soaked my clothes, but that didn't matter to me. If I bled out, it'd be merciful, but I doubted that was how it was going to end. Bears in general were violent in their attacks, but this one wasn't nearly done with me.

In fact, I could tell he was simply playing with me.

I reached out again and tried to find anything I could use to defend myself, but it was in vain. He used his paw and hit me hard over my side, and the force threw me against a tree trunk.

My entire body shook in terror and fatigue. Drool and blood dripped down my chin when a cough escaped me. I was quite certain several of my ribs were broken and maybe a lung was punctured because I couldn't breathe right.

He stepped on me, and I thought I was going to be crushed to death.

I didn't dare move, or barely breathe, as he snuffled my neck and my face. I hoped he would leave if I played dead, but I wasn't that lucky. Once again, I felt his teeth pierce through flesh, this time on my arm, and he pulled me violently with him. My arm would most likely be torn off cleanly, and I hoped it would mean I'd finally receive the mercy of death.

I was slipping away. I couldn't focus on anything. I was in such pain, almost on the verge of being numb. I felt nauseous and needed to throw up, but I couldn't.

However, I was coherent enough to feel surprised when the bear let go of my arm. I heard a ferocious growl, echoed by another one. If I'd had the energy, I would have cried because I was certain a second bear had joined my macabre execution, and I wasn't bleeding out fast enough to die before they tore me apart between them.

For a second, I felt nothing, and I saw nothing. I didn't even hear anything anymore, and I knew I was dead. A rush of sadness washed through me as I thought of my family, especially when I thought of Bea. They would never know what had happened to me. They would only be able to guess as to what could have caused my disappearance.

They'd understand I was dead, though. Nothing short of it could pull me away from them without a word.

Then I most definitely felt something—the rush of the wind on my face. The sensation confused me, especially when it was accompanied by the feeling of my stomach being left behind with a tickling thrill. It felt the way I'd always imagined birds did when they took flight.

Using whatever strength I had left, I forced my eyes open and was shocked to see I was in the arms of an angel. The sun brightened her gloriously haloed golden hair, and her white skin glimmered like a gemstone.

She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful creature I had ever laid my eyes on, and to be taken to heaven by her must mean I'd done something right in my life. Why would I otherwise be given such a privilege?

I was afraid to speak in case it would cause the angel to disappear, but when a jostling movement reminded me of my broken body, I let out an involuntary groan. The angel looked down at me, but instead of giving me a reassuring smile, her out-of-place black eyes appeared strained and worried.

Why was she worried? I was already dead, and I couldn't figure out what else could go wrong. Wasn't it my time to go? Was that it? Had I died before my time?

Destiny wasn't one of those things I'd given much thought to before, and while Mama was very religious, the rest of us had just accepted that our belief in God didn't make our situation better. What was happening right now, though, shook me up.

The apparition before me proved that Mama had been right all along, and I wished I could have thanked her for forcing us to read the bible every Sunday. Maybe that was what had been my salvation? Had that small effort on Mama's part been enough?

I didn't know how far away heaven was, but it was strange that my angel wasn't using her wings. I'm sure flying would go faster, although she was already moving at an incredible speed.

It must have been hours that passed, but I fought with every inch of me to keep my eyes open, and I refused to look at anything else but my angel. There were times when her white skin didn't glimmer, and her face became clearer to me. I couldn't find a single flaw. Not in her full lips or large eyes despite their ominous color.

Her hair looked like spun gold, and it flew out behind her in the most wondrous waves.

She didn't blink once. Her eyes remained open and held on to their worried glint. It especially flared up anew whenever it felt as if the lurking darkness was about to swallow me.

There was no way for me to determine how long she'd had me in her arms, but eventually, there was a change. She stopped moving and placed me on a soft surface, but the claw marks on my back and shoulders made it more uncomfortable than being in my angel's stone hard grip.

Another one, whom I could only assume was God himself, approached us and spoke softly to my angel. His expression was confused, and while I couldn't hear the words, the tone of his smooth voice indicated he was asking my angel why she had brought me to him.

She shook her head and appeared to beg him as she sat down next to me.

I was fascinated by the examination God appeared to give me, but then he said something that caused my angel distress, and she tragically hid her beautiful face in her delicate-looking hands.

My focus was blurry, and I didn't understand what was happening or why my angel appeared to be crying. That is until I felt a new pain so much worse than the injuries I'd been inflicted with by the bear, and I knew my angel had begged for my mercy.

God had made his decision, though. I wasn't welcome in heaven and had been thrown into hell to receive my judgment. Mama's persistence had not been my savior. I'd sinned too much in my life, and deep down, I'd already known that, and that was why I wasn't too surprised when hell's inferno burned through me.

I was beginning to feel panicked, though, because I understood this meant my angel would be taken from me. There was no way she'd be allowed to stay with me, and why would she want to? She was an angel. A pure and flawless creation from God. The epitome of goodness. Why would she want to remain in hell to be with a lowlife sinner such as myself?

But she did. She stayed. Not once did she move from my side, and every time the flames became too much for me to bear, she tried to soothe me with soft words and caresses to my face and down my arms. If I hadn't been consumed by hellfire, her touch would have given me goosebumps.

Occasionally, God came back, and each time, I felt fear. I didn't fear his wrath or his power. I feared he would take my angel away. I was certain he wasn't too fond of having her down here with me. Angels didn't belong underground.

I needed her, though. She was the only thing that kept me anchored; the only thing that made the consuming pain bearable, albeit just barely. If she left, I knew I was doomed.

To my never-ending surprise, he didn't force her to leave me. He didn't even attempt it.

The first time I heard the words they spoke to each other, I finally understood what the preachers in church had talked about when they spoke of a merciful God.

"How is he doing? Has he spoken yet?"

My angel shook her head. "It's difficult to say. His screams don't give much away. His wounds are all healed, though. Even the big one across his chest."

"Can't be too long now, but I can't be sure. Usually, the heart is much weaker at this stage."

"He's a fighter," my angel replied with a hint of pride in her tone, and it made me feel warm in a different kind of way. I liked that she was strangely proud of me, even though I had no idea what they were talking about.

Sometime later, there was another change. All the while the Devil tortured me with his flames, my heart had hammered hard in my chest. The connection between the heat inside me and my heart made no sense, but I didn't have a frame of reference to say that what the hellfire did to me was wrong.

The change had me believe that the endgame was to cause my heart to explode, and that would be the grand finale. Maybe my judgment had come to its end; it was time for me to embrace the eternal darkness or wherever doomed souls spent eternity.

It didn't explode. It curve-balled and went in the opposite direction and slowed down until it finally stopped.

I could hear the breathing of four separate beings but nothing else, and I waited a few seconds to see what would happen.

There was no more pain at all. The flames were gone, and my injuries couldn't be felt anymore. I was conscious, but my heart didn't beat. What did it mean?

My eyes had closed when I thought my heart would burst from my chest, and I didn't know if my angel was still next to me. I hoped she was and that she could give me some answers.

"Am I dead?" I asked out loud, not knowing if anyone would answer me. The breathing I heard could be another trick from the Devil.

"No, you're not," the most pleasant voice I'd ever heard said quietly, close to my ear. "Please, open your eyes."

And I did.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Did I write the attack justice? Did you imagine it more gruesome? And what about his impression of Rosalie? And the change?

Emmett's human life is at an end, but his story has just begun!

As always,

Stay Awesome!


	5. Chapter 4 April 17th 1935

**A/N:**

I had planned to put this up yesterday, but I didn't feel well at all. Headaches, period cramps, and on top of that, I'm still recovering from a surgery I underwent 2 weeks ago. So instead, I went to bed early.

Anyway, time to get a look at newborn Emmett ;-)

 **Title:** Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

 **Author:** MarieCarro

 **Beta:** Alice's White Rabbit

 **Pre-reader:** OnlyInValhalla

 **Genre:** Family/Supernatural

 **Rating:** NC-17

 **Summary:** Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 4**

 **WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17** **th** **1935**

I guardedly looked around the curiously defined room I was in and took notice of the pristine and expensive furniture, the décor that screamed wealth, and the clothes on the people in the room.

There were four of them, which explained the four sets of breathing I'd heard. Two of them were completely unfamiliar. A teenage boy with a wistful and cautious expression, a woman with toffee-colored hair who watched me with kind curiosity, and then there was a blond man who looked no older than either of my brothers, yet the air around him spoke of maturity and wisdom. I recognized him as the one I referred to as God in my head while I burned.

Lastly, there was my angel. I would never forget what she'd looked like when she found me, but she was somehow even more beautiful now as she sat on her knees next to the couch I'd apparently been lying on.

Her eyes weren't black anymore, though. They were browner but still not a color I'd ever seen on another before. When I thought of it, all of them shared the same eye-color yet they didn't look related.

Except for maybe my angel and the blond man.

Then, the sweetest smile stretched over her face, and she was gorgeous. I couldn't take in and process her beauty. It was almost too much.

"How do you feel?" she asked, and I had to collect myself before answering. She had me completely spellbound, but she'd asked me a question, and I wanted to answer.

But how did I feel? Did she mean physically?

"I feel confused," I replied honestly, and when I spoke, I was also made aware of a scratchy dryness in my throat. "And my throat is very dry. Could I get a glass of water?" I asked, but as soon as the words left me, I cringed.

I didn't want water. I was thirsty, but the mere thought of water repulsed me for some reason. Apparently, I was craving something else. I knew it was some kind of liquid, but that was it.

"We're all rather confused at the moment," the blond man said, and the soft tones of his voice had me thinking of how wondrous all of this was. I was in a strange house, with a bunch of strange people in it. I was positive I had died, yet my angel said I hadn't. But what else could explain what was going on?

If I was in heaven, or hell, why was I surrounded by people I didn't know?

A tender hand touched my arm, and the touch caused intense tingles to shoot through my body. I looked down, and it was my angel who had put her hand on my arm.

That was when I noticed for the first time that the color of our skin matched, which I thought was very strange. My angel was as close to being completely white as anyone I'd ever seen, but a life working outside had caused my own skin to always sport a slight golden-brown hue to it.

Not anymore. My arm was as white as her hand. How that had come to be, I couldn't explain.

"I'm Rosalie Hale," she introduced herself, and I was delighted to finally have a name, although, she would always remain my angel as well. "What's your name?" she asked.

It confused me that an angel didn't know the name of her charge, but maybe she was just being polite.

I gave her a smile back. "It's a real pleasure meetin' you, Miss Rosalie," I said and meant every word. "My name's Emmett McCarty."

Her smile widened, and I found no reason to say anything else. Just looking at her was everything I needed, and for some reason, she appeared to feel the same thing. Forever could have passed by and I wouldn't have noticed as I looked into her eyes.

A throat was cleared, and I turned toward the sound. It was the blond man.

"I'm certain you have many questions for us. We want to do our best to clear up your confusion," he said, and I realized he was right.

I did have loads of questions because my angel's introduction of herself, while nice, hadn't exactly explained anything of what was going on. "Yes, well, I obviously ain't dead, so I'd appreciate havin' that one explained to me," I said and then paused momentarily when I took notice of the new, much smoother resonance of my voice. It still sounded like me. It was my words and my accent, but it was just more pleasant. "I reckon I'd also want to know who, or rather, what you guys are."

"Excuse my manners," the man replied. "My name is Carlisle Cullen, and this is my wife, Esme." He gestured toward the kind-looking woman, and lastly, toward the boy whose expression had changed into one of amusement for some reason. "And my son, Edward. My daughter, Rosalie, has already introduced herself. We are, simply put, a family of vampires. You, Emmett McCarty, aren't dead because you've been turned into one as well."

His blunt words should have shocked me. I wasn't generally a believer in stories about trolls and goblins or other mythical beings, yet I couldn't contend with his words either.

"Vampires?" I asked, and the tone of my voice belied my feelings. "They exist?"

"We sure do," the man, Carlisle, replied with a chuckle. "And we've been around for quite some time."

I nodded and did my best to process the information. "I reckon that answers most of my questions," I said. To tell the truth, I didn't know how I was supposed to feel. More frightened than I was, perhaps, but I simply couldn't bring myself to feel bad about what had happened.

I couldn't say becoming a vampire was something I'd ever dreamt of, but now that I apparently was one, it was quite fruitless to resent the situation. I was certain there was nothing that could be done about it anyway. Besides, if Rosalie, my angel, my savior, was a vampire, how bad could it truly be?

A thought that didn't really work with what I saw before me had me smiling widely. "So was that author … uh, Bram Stoker, right? Do you guys sleep in coffins and all of that?" My knowledge of vampires was limited, but Sam had read _Dracula_ once, and he'd told me all about it.

Carlisle laughed softly, and the other guy, Edward, joined him, but I instinctively knew they weren't laughing at me. "Emmett, look at us. Do we look like _Nosferatu_ to you? As for the coffins, I'm going to give you the short answer for now, which is no," he said, but before I could ask him to explain further, his easy smile fell and he continued. "Although, there are those of our kind who live in a much less civilized way down in the south. In fact, most vampires live off of human blood."

I had already understood that we weren't in Tennessee anymore, and from the way Carlisle spoke, as well as both his and Rosalie's accents, they were both northerners. I couldn't pinpoint where Carlisle was from, but Rosalie sounded like a proper Yankee.

However, I was more interested in Carlisle's statement about blood. It had answered my question of what it was I was craving so badly, and his words didn't sound completely right to me. "Most vampires?" I asked for clarification. "What do you mean? Are you an exception?"

"We are," Carlisle nodded. "The four of us only drink from animals."

I briefly wondered if my angel had drunk from the bear that had attacked me. It was difficult to piece together the thought of my fair angel, Rosalie, killing and drinking from that humongous beast, and for some reason, the image in my head became humorous with the bear begging for her mercy.

Edward suddenly laughed, and I looked him up and down, wondering what had set him off. He calmed down and looked right at me. "I've never seen a bear beg for mercy before, but if it would, it certainly would be to Rosalie. She can be quite frightening."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Rosalie glare deadly at him, proving his point, but I was more focused on the fact that the guy had somehow known what I was thinking. "How did you know what I was thinking?"

"There are a lot of things we need to explain to you, Emmett," Carlisle said and sat down on the couch next to me. "One such thing is that some vampires develop special abilities, like Edward, who can read minds."

"Special abilities?" I asked and saw how Carlisle looked at Edward, who instantly nodded, and I understood they'd talked through thoughts.

For the first time since I opened my eyes to this new world, I was feeling afraid. Not over what he could read in my mind because I didn't have anything to hide, but over what other people in turn could keep from me. I didn't like that an entire conversation could take place in secret while I was still in the room.

Edward was the next to speak. "Emmett, I know you've noticed that all of your senses have grown stronger compared to before your change, right?" he asked, and I nodded. It had been quite hard to miss those changes. "These special abilities work in the same way," he continued, and I realized with a start that he also spoke in a way that made it obvious he was much older than he looked. "All of us have something extra we bring into this life, and we can only speculate as to why they manifest in the way they do. We believe I was very perceptive when I was human, and that's why I can read minds today."

It was another statement that left me feeling lost. "You believe you were perceptive? You don't know?"

He shook his head almost apologetically, but I didn't understand what he was apologizing for until he spoke again. "No. I'm afraid we lose our human memories over time."

I thought about my family—about Bea and my brothers, and Sammy and Jack—and I understood what he meant. The memories I had of them all were difficult to reach.

Edward continued. "I can read in your mind now that while you think about your family, the memories are dark and murky. That's just the beginning. Eventually, everything will be lost."

"Not necessarily," Rosalie said and squeezed my hand. "If there is a memory you really want to keep, all you have to do is think really hard about it, and it will be with you forever."

I took another look around the room we were in and then studied my own worn-out boots. My past wasn't anything to brag about. It had been filled with hardships and struggles, and because I was such an easy-going guy, I had always made it seem as if we managed just fine. But that was the thing. Humor was how my family had gotten by without sinking into despair, but all of us knew that on the edge of the laughter, there was always a hint of tension and worry about the next day.

These people obviously didn't have that worry, and I didn't want to drag them down with my problems. Still, it saddened me I would forget about my family. They had meant the most to me my entire life.

"I don't know if any of my memories are worth keeping forever," I said quietly, but when I briefly met Rosalie's gaze, there was a fierce light in them that told me she wanted to argue against my statement.

Before she could, though, Edward spoke up again. "We all want to hear your story, but if we don't take you out hunting soon, we might have a problem."

"You're right, Edward. We should leave immediately," Carlisle instantly agreed. The four of them started to move, and it was a bit of a shock to see how fast Edward and Esme moved up the stairs.

I felt out of my element as I followed Rosalie and Carlisle to the hall, and I stood there and just waited for them to tell me exactly what we were going to do. I understood hunting better than everything else that had happened since the bear, but how vampires hunted was completely new territory.

It was obvious we wouldn't use traps or rifles the way I was used to since neither Carlisle nor Rosalie took out any of that. Edward and Esme were also empty-handed when they came back downstairs.

Their clothes didn't look appropriate for hunting either. Esme and Rosalie were wearing dresses, while made from common cotton material, they weren't suited for the woods, and Edward and Carlisle were in finely pressed dress trousers.

Rosalie came up to me and deftly took my hand in hers, and I immediately felt strangely comforted. "Don't worry," she assured me in a whisper, somehow sensing how out of place I felt. "Everything will come to you naturally. It's instinctual."

"Are we ready?" Carlisle asked, and the other three nodded. He and Esme disappeared through the front door in less than a second, and Edward offered a grin my way before he, too, disappeared.

Rosalie gave me an encouraging smile and tugged on my hand, and suddenly, we were flying through the forest with the others. Not literally, but even with my heightened senses, that was what it felt like.

In fact, I wasn't completely convinced yet that I hadn't died after all.

The forest we were in was completely unrecognizable, and for a brief moment, I wondered where exactly we were. The plants and trees weren't like back home, and I could tell that the air and the temperature was completely different.

"There are no humans around for miles in this direction," Rosalie said, obviously wanting me to get into the mindset of hunting. "I'm not going to lie to you, animals don't smell good at all, but I usually shut off and try not to think of it."

I stopped running and so did she. "Then why do you do it?" I asked. "If this isn't the life that you want, why do you live it? Who's stopping you?"

She was about to answer when the both of us heard a growl that I easily identified as a cougar.

"I'll tell you everything later," she promised me before she urged me to go after the cat.

* * *

 **A/N:**

I know you're waiting for teasing, and playful Emmett. He's coming, don't worry. He's not altogether comfortable with the Cullens yet, but as that changes, he'll become the Emmett we love :-D


	6. Chapter 5 April 17th - April 19th 1935

**A/N:**

Okay, first hunt for Emmett, and he's alone with Rosalie. What do you think will happen here? What do you want to happen?

 **Title:** Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

 **Author:** MarieCarro

 **Beta:** Alice's White Rabbit

 **Pre-reader:** OnlyInValhalla

 **Genre:** Family/Supernatural

 **Rating:** NC-17

 **Summary:** Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 5**

 **WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17** **th** **– FRIDAY, APRIL 19** **th** **1935**

The cougar was … not good. I wasn't going to pretend I liked it because I really didn't. The taste was strangely sweet and not what I'd been expecting, but I drank it dry anyway because I was almost too thirsty to care. At least, until it was empty.

When I was done, I looked down at myself and noticed that my shirt, which had held together for years, was nothing but scrap material now, and whatever was left of it was stained red with blood.

"I should have expected that," I said to myself. "Gettin' killed by a bear and then wrestlin' with a cougar usually requires armor."

Rosalie let out a soft laugh that made me smile.

"You have an answer to everything, don't you?" she asked, and the smile lingered in her eyes, which had transformed into a glorious golden color after her own kill. The unnatural hue of her eyes only enhanced her beauty further, and I found myself walking closer to her.

We were alone, and usually when that was the case, and I was in the company of an attractive lady, I worked my charm on them until they willingly came to me. It was the game I had played for years, and it had never failed me.

Now, I gave her a one-shoulder shrug. "I try. I find life easier to deal with if you add a little bit of fun into it."

As I drew nearer, I noticed how she glanced at my exposed chest. I knew my build impressed a lot of young women, and Rosalie wasn't an exception. She was clearly affected, but I enjoyed her glances more than those I'd received from others in the past.

"It's clear you and I have led two very different lives," she replied and leaned back against the rock wall behind her. If she did it to create space between us was unclear.

"I'd love to hear more about you," I said, and I was close enough to have to bend my neck to maintain our eye contact. Rosalie wasn't particularly short. If I had to say so myself, I thought she was the perfect height for someone like me. "And introduce you to the fun side of life."

I grinned and took another step toward her. She placed her hands on my chest, but she wasn't stopping me either because there was no force or strength behind the action. Then I heard the approaching steps of one of the others, but I ignored them and gave all my focus to Rosalie. Hopefully, they'd get the hint and realize we were busy.

Both of my hands were placed on the rock, effectively trapping Rosalie between them, and while the desire in her eyes was subdued by something I couldn't read, it was there, and I thought I just needed to coax it out of her.

"I know we just met," I said and leaned even closer. "But I have to tell you that you are the sexiest woman I've ever laid my eyes on."

She let out another little laugh and finally reacted the way I hoped by sliding her hands up my chest and around my neck until her fingers interlocked. "You really think so?"

"Without a doubt," I said, completely truthful in every word. I couldn't even imagine lying to Rosalie. She was my angel, and angels deserved better than lies.

And I saw it. Her unadulterated desire just before she pulled me in and our mouths connected in the most explosive contact I'd had with a woman, ever.

It was everything. And it was completely new. The sensations of touching her and kissing her were out of this world, and I almost had the need to consume her just so I always could feel that way. I wanted her more than I'd ever wanted anybody, and I was quickly becoming impatient.

I had never compromised a woman in public, though, because despite my reputation of being a womanizer, I wasn't a complete animal. Even though times had changed since my parents were young, and a woman could only ever be with her husband, if her promiscuous actions became widely known, she would always carry that stigma around. So I always went to the girl's place because then it was me who had to walk the proverbial walk of shame, not them. For some reason, people cared less if a man was the easy one.

There was uncertainty in me that I'd be able to wait until we got back to the house when I was with Rosalie now, though, and as I touched her, my hands steadily grew more brazen in provocative and suggestive ways.

However, when I pushed the length of my body against hers and roughly kissed her neck, I immediately felt how she froze up, and the tiniest whisper escaped her.

"Stop it."

Of course, I immediately did and took a step back, worried I'd gone too far or hurt her in some way, which was the absolute last thing I wanted.

As soon as there was space between us, Rosalie clenched her hands into fists and swiftly turned around to punch the rock wall behind her. I watched in equal fascination and horror as her delicate hands demolished the stone while she screamed bloody murder.

I didn't know what to do, so I just stared at her as she vented her anger. Eventually, it appeared to drain away, but instead of helplessly falling to the ground, she leaned her head against the stone and gouged her fingers deep into it.

"They're dead," she told herself quietly. "They're all dead. I made sure of that myself."

Still uncertain what to do, I kept my distance as I spoke. "Might be a stupid question, but are you all right?"

She inhaled deeply before she let go of the stone and turned back around to face me. "No, I am not." She deftly smoothed down her hair and straightened her dress out, which had gotten a bit crumbled because of me. "There are … _things_ that happened to me in my past. Things I'd rather not talk about."

I nodded. "And I respect that," I said. "However, if what I did was out of line, I need to know, just so I don't do it again."

"No, it's not you," she said and shook her head in frustration. "I don't ever want you to believe that it's you."

"Then what?"

She gave me a devastated look that made me want to beat the hell out of whoever was the cause of it, but then she turned her back to me. "Some of your … advances just made me remember, that's all."

I tried to make sense of her words, and when I finally made the connection, I felt sick and more furious than I'd ever been in my entire life. Forcing oneself on a woman was something I'd never understood why some men enjoyed, but understanding that Rosalie, my angel, had been subjected to it made the concept of it a thousand times worse.

"Are you sayin' that—" There was no bile rising in the back of my throat, yet I had to swallow as if it were. The taste in my mouth was tangy and bitter, though. It had tasted the same just before I attacked the cougar, and I wondered if vampire saliva simply had that taste.

"I said I don't want to talk about it," Rosalie interjected before I could collect myself and continue my question.

"Right. I'm sorry," I said and held up my hands to show her I wasn't going to react negatively toward her wish.

She gave me a small, but still quite tight, smile. "You don't have to apologize. You haven't done anything wrong. And I don't expect you to understand any of it. I dealt with what happened to me in the only way I could, and I just have to live with it now."

I sat down on a boulder several yards away from her even though my body told me to do the opposite. Physically, I didn't want to sit still and talk because I was still pumped with energy, but I had a feeling the two of us needed to have this conversation. "No offense, but it doesn't sound to me as if you've dealt with anythin'."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

It was obvious I was treading into dangerous territory, but the woman in front of me was already so very important to me, and the last thing I wanted was for her to hurt if I could do anything about it.

"You say you don't want to talk about it, and that's fine with me," I assured again. "But it has me wonderin' if you've _ever_ talked about it."

Her jaw clenched in anger. "I don't _need_ to talk about it. It happened, and I got my revenge. That's all there is to it." She started to walk off but looked at me over her shoulder. "I don't know about you, but I'm still thirsty. Are you coming with me?"

 **{=DITM=}**

It didn't take particularly long for me to understand the dynamic between the members of the family I had been taken into. Their roles were clear-cut and uncomplicated.

Carlisle was the leader, no doubt; the provider; the man of the house. Whatever he said was what happened.

Esme was the caregiver. She made sure everyone had whatever they could possibly need, and I was no exception to that rule. When it was obvious that none of Edward's or Carlisle's clothes would work as replacements for my torn shirt, she took it upon herself to buy me everything I could need. I'd felt awkward accepting such an elaborate gift, especially when she handed me dress pants and suit jackets, and there wasn't a trace of denim or sturdy cotton in sight. Still, it was impossible to say no when she gave me her lovely and motherly smile.

Edward was the prodigy; very troubled for reasons unknown to me, yet he couldn't do much wrong in either Carlisle's or Esme's eyes. If he shied away and kept to himself, it was because his gift weighed him down. It was never explained as him simply being somewhat anti-social.

The complete opposite could be said about Rosalie. She was the black sheep, the outcast. However, the interesting part was that she didn't strive to even attempt to fit into the family either. On the contrary, she did everything she could to keep herself separated from them.

Her name for example. When they moved from her hometown of Rochester—I knew she was a Yankee—to West Virginia, she had refused to take Carlisle's last name. She had instead stubbornly insisted to keep her human one.

When I'd asked her about it, the only thing she told me was that she would explain another time.

Still, despite the lack of understanding between the four of them, it was obvious Carlisle and Esme loved her like a daughter, and Edward also cared for her, even though he rarely showed it.

Where I was supposed to fit in was yet to be determined. They had all been fascinated when I told them my story and what kind of life I'd been living, and although only Carlisle could truly relate to such a simple life since he'd been living the same way before he was turned into a vampire in the 17th century—I'd startled a bit when he told me how old he was—all of them accepted me as part of the family right off the bat.

While that was a relief, I wasn't completely sold on their life. There were too many rules to abide by. I'd always seen myself as a free man, especially when I was checking my traps in the mountains or otherwise hunting. It was the most liberating feeling of all.

Being told what I could and could not do had never set right with me, and I had yet to see the benefits of living in hiding the way my new family did.

What guaranteed my stay with them was my angel. I already knew I'd follow her anywhere in the world, and if being close to her meant I had to live a life of abstinence—which was what it felt like—then that was something I was willing to do.

Of course, that didn't mean I didn't struggle, and not feeling fully satisfied made me somewhat irate. I kept it well under control around the others, but Rosalie's continued aloofness about anything that had to do with her had a tendency to make me lash out at her.

It didn't make me feel particularly guilty, though, because Rosalie held her own very well in any sort of discussion or fight.

"Why can't you just let it go? I've told you that I don't want to talk about it," she growled at me on our next hunting trip.

"Because I'm tired of hearin' you say that you'll tell me later," I retorted, quite angry myself. Why couldn't she see that it was for her sake that I needed to know what was eating at her? "The wall you've built up might protect you right now, but it affects me as well."

"How so?" she asked and crossed her arms while narrowing her eyes.

I walked closer to her but made certain to not trap her. After what she'd gone through, I was sure she needed to feel like she had the chance to get away.

To her credit, she didn't stand down. She only had to tilt her head up the very slightest to keep looking into my eyes, and I admired that silent strength.

"It's been two days since my change, and I haven't been able to stop thinkin' of touchin' you and kissin' you again," I said honestly. "I imagine it vividly; fantasize about it. So much so Edward can barely look me in the eye." I gently touched her silky hair and placed it behind her ear to keep it from blowing in her face. "I want to be able to touch you like that without you freezin' up on me."

Her golden eyes were soft like honey, but her mouth remained pursed in defiance. "And what makes you think I want you to touch me like that?" she asked, but I could too easily see beyond her harsh words. Her true feelings were almost written across her forehead.

I gave her a small, almost apologetic, smile. "No offense, Rosie, but I doubt you saved me for anyone else but yourself. And I don't mind that at all."

"What did you call me?" she asked, and her arms dropped to her sides.

"Rosie," I answered her even though I knew she'd heard me clearly the first time.

She looked down at the ground. "My younger brothers used to call me that," she said, and there was an obvious hint of sadness in her voice. When she looked back up at me, her expression was once again filled with the same raw agony I'd seen just before she told me what had happened to her, and I was once again prepared to do anything to make my angel feel happy again.

Absolutely anything.

After a drawn-out sigh, she finally made her decision. "Fine, I'll tell you. But promise you won't hold any of it against me."

I grabbed her smaller hands in my own and kissed her knuckles. "I promise. And I never break promises to angels."

A smile broke through at my comment, but it quickly fell again as she readied herself to tell me everything.

* * *

 **A/N:**

As you can see, I decided to take this route with their relationship because it never sat right with me that they started a physical and intimate relationship right away. Especially considering Rosalie's past.

Now, you might wonder then, but Marie, Edward can read thoughts, so he should have known this.

Well, you know, not necessarily. Edward reads thoughts that are in the moment, and while Emmett might not possess the control over his thoughts yet, he does have a vivid imagination, and he longs to be with Rosalie, so you can imagine what mostly goes through his head. It was for this sake that I added the line _'I imagine it vividly; fantasize about it. So much so Edward can barely look me in the eye.'_

Also, the forests around the Cullens' current residence are quite large, and that's why Carlisle feels safe allowing Emmett and Rosalie out of the house on their own. This gives another opportunity for the couple to hide their intimacy from the family.

Since this is canon, they will eventually have the kind of relationship we all know they have, but give Rosalie some time, okay? :)

Okay then, as always,

Stay Awesome!


	7. Chapter 6 April 19th - May 1st 1935

**A/N:**

You've waited quite some time for this now! Well, it's 2019 now so it's back to business, but before that, did everyone have a good Christmas and New Years? (Or, you know, whatever you celebrated!)

Mine was quiet, but good enough.

So, I left you just as Rosalie was about to tell Emmett her story, and I know that most of you know the story since this is canon, but she's telling Emmett for the first time, so she's not sparing on the details ;-)

 **Title:** Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

 **Author:** MarieCarro

 **Beta:** Alice's White Rabbit

 **Pre-reader:** OnlyInValhalla

 **Genre:** Family/Supernatural

 **Rating:** NC-17

 **Summary:** Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 6**

 **FRIDAY, APRIL 19** **th** **– WEDNESDAY, MAY 1** **st** **1935**

"I don't even know how to begin," she admitted in a sad tone. "It feels as if it will all come out wrong no matter how I tell you."

I furrowed my forehead in confusion. "Are you afraid to offend me in some way? How could you possibly do that? Besides, I promised I wouldn't hold anythin' you say against you, didn't I?"

She nodded. "You did. And you've been absolutely wonderful to me this entire time, even though all I do is push you away. Why aren't you running from me?"

"Haven't you noticed?" I asked her with a small smirk, and she gave me a questioning look. "I can be as stubborn as a mule myself."

This time, she didn't laugh at my joke, but I felt the shift in the air before she spoke again. "You told us all about your life, and … well, my life was quite the opposite of yours before all of this," she said and gestured down at herself.

"That I already knew," I said in honesty and also hoped she'd feel at ease if I showed her that I didn't mind her much more refined background. "It wasn't particularly difficult to guess, either. You both move and talk like a proper lady. Not many of those go through Gatlinburg, but I easily recognize one when I see her."

"Proper lady or not, I had no right to act the way I did when I was human and—" She stopped herself and dug her hands into the soil underneath her, almost as if she were bracing herself. "And I had no right to make the decision of ending your human life."

There was a fraction of a second's silence between us as her words hung in the air.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, not at all following her train of thought.

She sighed. "What you have to understand, Emmett, is that I have always been a selfish person. It's the way I was raised by my parents. If there was something I wanted, I couldn't understand why I shouldn't get it. Not that I ever had to so much as ask for it." She studied her hands intently, and it fascinated me to no end that she had no problem showing me how vulnerable a person she actually was when she showed nothing but hardness toward the others despite them having known her for a much longer period of time.

"In my world, being beautiful was the highest value, and because I was, no one ever denied me anything. It was a given that I would have success and riches, even though what that actually meant was I would find a husband who already had all of that and could shower me with more of the material things I was used to having."

I felt a surge of discomfort run through me when I realized I was nothing like the man she had always expected to find. I had never had a well-paid job, or even owned my own house, or possessed enough money to brag about it. I hadn't the slightest idea how to even act as a gentleman.

What could she possibly see in me? Why had she saved me? I pushed my own insecurity aside quickly and focused back on Rosalie.

"I enjoyed being the center of attention, but what I wanted more than anything was something my closest friend got before me. My parents were never particularly loving toward each other. At least, not around me or my brothers. I thought that was how it was supposed to be until I saw how Vera's husband was around her."

She finally looked up at me again, and her bitter and harsh smile stunned me.

"I was so jealous of her. It was a feeling I was unfamiliar with. Usually, people envied me, not the other way around. I remember questioning why she got all that. She wasn't nearly as beautiful as I was, after all, yet she got even more of what I wanted. Not long after her wedding, she had a son."

There was a longer pause as she built up her courage to tell me what was weighing so heavily on her.

"I wanted the shallow things in life, I'm not going to deny that, but I know better now than I did then. I know now what I truly yearned for was a husband who would love me above everything else and for us to have a family of our own. I don't know why, but I guess the powers that be saw that as too much to ask for," she finished with a grimace as if she had a sour taste in her mouth.

"Was that when it happened?" I asked carefully. I had a feeling she was getting closer to the darker parts of her life.

She tightened her lips into a thin line and nodded. "Being assaulted is always traumatic," she said in a constricted and forced voice. "Yet, I can't help feeling that being gang-raped by your fiancée and his friends is just a tiny bit worse."

I felt every inch of energy I had leaving me, yet I remained standing as my body refused to succumb to the weakness of my mind. I was shocked, disgusted, and furious all at the same time. I couldn't get a single word out.

"I guess it was partly my own fault," she continued in a small voice. Her tone reminded me of someone admitting a dark secret, yet I couldn't understand how she could possibly believe she was to blame for her assault. "I didn't really know Royce, after all, when I accepted his proposal. I was just desperate to get the things I felt I deserved. And my parents shamelessly pushed the wedding to happen as soon as possible. It caused rumors of pregnancy to circulate, but for once, I didn't care what others thought because I was so close to getting what I wanted and showing Vera that she wasn't the only one who could reach happiness."

I suddenly felt livid, and I crouched down right in front of Rosalie. She didn't startle, but I could see that she hadn't expected my close proximity.

"Don't say it was your fault," I said to her passionately. "Not even, just a little bit." I took her hands in mine, and with as much care as I could muster without using too much of my enhanced strength, I squeezed comfortingly. "A man who assaults a woman isn't a man. He's a monster, and there is absolutely no excuse for what he did. Much less that he invited his friends to join. The lot of them deserve to burn in hell for eternity."

A dark smile replaced the pain in her eyes. "Oh, believe me, they are."

I immediately understood what she was insinuating. She'd said it during our first hunt. _"They're all dead. I made sure of that myself."_ I knew she had killed them, and her smile indicated that she had been brutal. It didn't bother me at all. If that was what she needed in order to start healing, I wasn't going to be the one to tell her that what she'd done was wrong. That would never be my place.

Instead, all I said was, "Good."

"They deserved nothing less. Being the cause for what I am today."

Everything became so clear to me. It was no mystery why my angel remained bitter and trapped in her trauma. "You were changed that night, weren't you?"

"Yes."

"You never wanted any of it." It wasn't a question.

Her eyes fell to the ground again. "No."

"Why did you ask Carlisle to change me?" I asked her softly, yet she grimaced as if I were going to hit her. "I promise I won't be mad."

She closed her eyes, and I hated not to be able to see the golden color, but I refused to give her what could be perceived even as the smallest order. Never would I even attempt to dominate over her.

"You reminded me of him," she said, and when she understood that I had no idea who she was talking about, she clarified. "Vera's son Henry. He also had dark curly hair." She reached out and traced her thumb over my cheek, which warmed me up like only her touch could. "And dimples. You looked so innocent when the bear slashed at you, yet I knew if you hadn't shared those traits with Henry, I most likely would have left you to die. As it was, I couldn't. Even though I knew it would have been the most merciful thing to do."

I instantly shook my head in disagreement. "It wouldn't have been the most merciful thing," I said, and she narrowed her eyes in confusion. "If I'd died, I would have been deprived of ever meetin' you, and that thought alone tears me apart."

A feeling deep in my gut told me that while I wanted nothing more than to kiss her in that moment, I knew she was feeling too raw and vulnerable to see the true emotion behind it. So instead, I reached up and kissed her forehead. "It might be difficult for you to grasp right now, but you've quickly become the most important being to me in this universe, and I won't ever blame you for _saving_ me because that's what you did."

I released one of her hands and cupped her cheek. "I don't yet know how to prove it to you and help you believe it, but if there is ever anythin' you need, don't hesitate to come to me. Even if it means you only need someone to punch or scream at, 'cause I can take it. Just promise you'll always be honest with me?"

Rosalie's eyes welled up, and I thought she was going to cry, but it appeared as if no tears could fall. "Thank you," she whispered in the most grateful manner I'd ever heard anyone speak. "And I promise."

 **{=DITM=}**

I snickered as I watched Edward cringe in response to the thoughts I was intentionally throwing his way, but when he bolted out of the house, I could no longer hold it in and laughed loudly.

"What's wrong with him?" Rosalie asked as she entered the room just in time to see Edward's retreating back.

I gestured for her to sit down next to me and slowly placed my arm around her shoulders. She appeared to relax against me in total ease, but what I was certain the others couldn't detect was that the annoyed hint in her tone and the tightening around her mouth actually were indications of her insecurities around what she felt comfortable enough to allow me to do.

We were always working on her boundaries, but I never pushed when she pulled back. However, my angel was adamant about maintaining her protective walls, even toward her family, and she thought it was best if they believed we had become an immediate couple.

While that wasn't completely untrue, she didn't correct them either whenever we overheard them talking about our, apparently, "overzealous" sex life. She said it was better to let them believe what they wanted because then they wouldn't ask questions she didn't want to answer.

I didn't argue with her, and it actually gave me a great opportunity to mess with Edward, who was easily the most tight-laced person I'd ever come across in my life, which in turn made it even more fun.

"He makes it too easy for me," I said and gestured in the direction of where he had disappeared. "It doesn't even matter that I haven't actually seen you naked yet because he always runs before I get to the good stuff."

Rosalie hit my chest, but her expression was amused, so I knew she appreciated my humor.

"One of these days, you're gonna have to tell me what it is you're thinking to scare him off like that," she said, and while the ambiance was still humorous, I took the opportunity to insert some seriousness as well.

I took her hand in mine and kissed the back of it. "One of these days, I'm goin' to show you."

Her eyes widened ever so slightly, and her expression told me that had blood still been running in her veins, she would have blushed. After all, my angel was a proper lady, and I doubted anyone had ever been so upfront with her like I was.

Lucky for me, she seemed to like it.

* * *

 **A/N:**

We got another little taste there of Emmett being both serious, and generally just awesome, as well as being the teasing oaf we all know he can be :-D

And if I say so myself, the last thing he says to Rosalie in the forest is the kind of thing that would have melted my heart, and I wanted him to say something that would make it clear he's offering to be her strength when she needs it.

I hope you're still liking the story, and I would love to hear your thoughts on it, thusfar.

As always,

Stay Awesome!


	8. Chapter 7 May 11th 1935

**A/N:**

It's not many days ago that I updated this story, but do you know what? My intention was to update it on Wednesday last week, Jan 2nd, but I've been home and unemployed for so long now that I can't keep track of the days anymore xD I literally thought it was Wednesday when I updated on the Friday. Do not ask me why!

Anyway, the set day for updates on this story is on Wednesdays :)

 **Title:** Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

 **Author:** MarieCarro

 **Beta:** Alice's White Rabbit

 **Pre-reader:** OnlyInValhalla

 **Genre:** Family/Supernatural

 **Rating:** NC-17

 **Summary:** Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 7**

 ** **SATURDAY, MAY 11**** ** **th**** ** **1935****

"Is there something on your mind?" Rosalie asked me as we prepared to head back to the house. Her question didn't surprise me in any way because as my thoughts gripped me, I knew I'd fallen silent.

Still, I couldn't help feeling somewhat uncomfortable with speaking of my thoughts with her. Not because I didn't want her to know everything about me. It was more for the reason that I knew how much talk of the past saddened her.

I would never deliberately keep anything from my angel though.

"I was just thinkin' about"—I paused but decided to just say it—"my family in Gatlinburg."

The light in Rosalie's eyes dimmed infinitesimally but enough for me to take notice. "Oh," she said.

"I haven't seen them in over a month, and I know they must already believe me to be dead. I'd already been gone for three days when the bear attacked, and I was headin' home," I explained to her, but when I saw the guilt rise in her eyes, I hurried to assure her that I didn't think it was her fault. "I still don't regret that you saved me, Rosie. I will never regret that. But I was very close to my family, and a part of me misses them. For most of my life, they were all I had."

She nodded, obviously understanding what I meant. From her story, I knew her own family hadn't been particularly loving, but I also knew she missed her younger brothers something fierce at times.

"Tell me about them."

I turned to her with a hint of confusion. "I've already done that."

She shook her head. "No, I don't mean the general story you gave the others. Tell me about your relationship with them. You have brothers, too, didn't you? What are their names?"

I thought back and couldn't hold in my smile. "Gavin and Ian. Gavin's the oldest, but he's always the one in trouble. He runs his mouth too often for his own good."

"Sounds like someone I know," Rosalie said with a twinkle in her eye that made me want to kiss her.

"I'm nowhere near as bad as my brothers, Rosie. Believe it or not, I'm actually the calm one of the three of us. At least, that's what Mama and Bea always said."

"Bea's your little sister?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Small little thing she is. Inherited it from Mama. She's fourteen, but she looks no more than twelve." A soft laugh escaped me as I thought of her. "Whenever she and Mama baked anythin' to sell, she'd always secretly make a few more for me and my brothers because she knew how much we loved her cookin'."

"You adored her, didn't you?"

My smile fell. "Very much so. Before her, I was the baby in the family. Not much was asked of me, and I simply followed along. But after she was born, and I became a big brother, I understood that my mission in life was to make sure she'd have a great one." A heavy feeling in my heart grew, and I tried to release some tension by letting out a deep breath, but it did nothing. "Now, I'll never get to fulfill that."

I was suddenly filled with rage toward myself, and I grabbed a thick branch from the ground and hurled it with all the strength I could muster, which turned out to be quite a lot because the branch disappeared deep into the woods. "And I broke my last promise to my father," I groaned.

Rosalie came up behind me, and very slowly, almost as if she was making sure she was fine with it herself, she wound her arms around me waist, effectively hugging me from behind. "Tell me."

Gingerly, I placed my hand over her entwined ones on my stomach. "I promised I'd come back home … so we could celebrate my birthday."

"Your birthday?" my angel whispered, and it was clear she hadn't expected that, for her surprise had caused her to freeze. "It was recent then?"

"Yes. Little over a month ago. My dad, brothers, and I were already up in the mountains, tracking a fox who'd killed several chickens in town. Mama didn't like it. She was afraid we'd get caught by the park rangers, and she was also bitter she'd miss makin' me breakfast for my birthday. She packed two tarts for me though." The memory of the cherry tarts made me smile.

Rosalie's arms loosened around me, and I wanted nothing more than to grab her hands and keep her close to me, but nothing short of insanity could make me forget the promise I'd made of never forcing her to do anything.

With a hand on my shoulder, she had me turn so that I faced her, and the incredulous look she gave me made me confused. "Are you saying that the only thing you got for your birthday was two tarts?" she asked as if that was the strangest thing she'd ever heard.

"It wasn't a small thing to me," I said, hoping I could explain it to someone who'd never experienced poverty. "By makin' those tarts for me, Mama and Bea used ingredients they could have used for other things that were much more necessary. But they made them for me, and I couldn't have asked for a better gift."

"It doesn't sound right to me," Rosalie insisted with a shake of her head. "How could you possibly have been happy with just two tarts? If that's all I'd gotten on my last birthday, I would've been so angry."

Despite her giving me more proof of how very spoiled she used to be and, perhaps, still very much so, I couldn't help but smile at her total innocence. "My guess is you never had to ration your food."

"No, of course not," she quickly replied, but then her expression smoothed out as she realized what I was telling her. "You weren't exaggerating when you said you led a simple life, were you?"

I chuckled. "Not at all. We were a family of six, sharin' a two-bedroom house, which we didn't own. There were days in my childhood when I could clearly hear the rumble of Mama's stomach because if missin' a meal that meant she could feed me and my siblings, and she'd do it every time."

Rosalie hugged herself. "That's so unfair."

I shrugged. "It's the life of the poor. And we made do. We hunted for food to save money at the butcher's, Mama and Bea made most of our clothes, and Dad had a little home brewery on the side for extra money." I stroked Rosalie's cheek and gave her a reassuring smile. "It might sound foreign to you, but despite our lack of money, we were quite happy. Maybe not thrivin', and there were times when things were really hard, but we knew we'd always come through."

Sadness took a hold of me again. "Although, that was when there were four men in the house bringing in the income. I can't even fathom how they're scraping by now."

"At the same time, they have one less mouth to feed," Rosalie said in a small attempt to cheer me up. "And judging by your size, I guess you ate a lot," she ended with a joke.

I cracked a small smile, but it wasn't enough to make me feel completely better. "Actually, believe it or not, I provided more income than I ate."

She decided on a new strategy and changed the subject. "What were you doing up in the mountains alone anyway? Where were your father and brothers?"

"Most likely at home," I answered vaguely. "They left earlier as I insisted on staying behind to track down a beast I was sure was roamin' the mountains."

"What kind of beast?" she asked, and she sounded strangely cautious.

"No idea," I admitted, still confounded by that particular mystery, but even more so by her tone. "It was nothin' I'd ever encountered before. The bite marks were so strange, and the bodies were drained of—" I stopped myself as my thoughts began to spin. "You know, when I think about it now, I might have seen that huntin' pattern before."

I met her somewhat ashamed gaze, and an incredulous sound left me.

"It was you, wasn't it?" I asked her. "That was why you were close by when the bear attacked me. You were huntin'," I stated, now certain of it.

She shrugged, self-conscious. "Yeah. What of it?" she admitted yet gave nothing else away.

"Did you watch me and my family?"

"No," she instantly denied. "But I heard you at times. It kept driving me higher up the mountains to stay clear of you. I didn't realize it was you until you just now said it."

Slowly, and as gently as I could, I raised both of my hands and cupped her face in them. Then, when she questioningly met my eyes, I softly breathed out against her supple mouth, which was tantalizingly close. "If this isn't destiny, then I don't know what is."

Making sure she was okay with it, I brought her even closer to touch her lips with my own. She willingly kissed back and added pressure to our contact, which made me momentarily think my heart would start beating again. And when she tentatively opened her mouth to invite me in, nothing, not even the burning change, could compete with the heat inside my body. The heat that yearned for her more with every second that passed.

When the kiss had lasted for as long as my angel was usually comfortable with, I prepared to pull away, even though it killed me to do it. However, she surprised me by locking her hands behind my neck and forcing me to stay put while pressing her seductive body flush against my own. Still, I didn't want to overwhelm her, and I was quite a lot stronger than she was, so I was able to remove myself from her grasp.

She gave me a disappointed look, and I could detect a hint of embarrassment as well before it was covered by her fortress walls.

I grabbed her hands in mine, but she pulled away. "Hey, don't give me that look," I pleaded. "You know I want you more than I can explain with words. I'm just not sure you're ready."

"You don't have to lie to me, Emmett," she replied coldly. "I clearly invited you to continue, but you didn't. It's fine. I understand. You don't want damaged goods." She turned and made the move to run away from me, but I was faster and grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"Don't," I said through clenched teeth, and she turned fiery eyes toward me. "Don't ever talk about yourself like that again." I drew her close to me again, and while her eyes were still on fire, she didn't fight me. "I want to give you everythin' you want, and everythin' you'll ever ask for. If you're tellin' me that what you want is for us to be together completely, then don't expect me to be slow to live up to that promise. That's why I need to know that you mean it when you tell me."

Our stance was very confrontational, and I didn't like it, so I let go of her wrist, hoping she wouldn't take the opportunity to run again.

"Haven't you learned anything about me this last month?" she asked me, and to my delight, she stepped closer. "Whenever I do anything, I always mean it."

I reached up and stroked her smooth cheek, reeling from the feeling of having my angel give me her complete trust. "I want to give you romance," I said. "But I'm afraid I'm out of practice in that department." She placed her hands on my stomach, and a surge shot through my entire body. "I want to show you how it can be."

"Then do it," she whispered, and her sweet breath fanned across my mouth.

"Here?" I asked. "Wouldn't you rather be back at the house? In a bed?"

"No," she replied, her voice growing even quieter, but every word echoed strongly inside me. "I'd rather not have an audience our first time." She closed her eyes and moved her hands up until they were around my neck. "Please, Emmett. Show me."

"Before I do that," I said and traced her bottom lip with my thumb. "I want you to kiss me."

She opened her eyes again and leaned back to give me the most adorable, confused look I'd ever seen. "I have."

I shook my head in disagreement. "No. _I_ have kissed _you_. That's different. Prove to me you're ready."

Her confidence wavered for a short moment, but then a fierce and determined light filled her eyes, and she deftly pulled me down toward her waiting lips. I wanted to kiss her back with fervor, but I waited until I felt her take complete control by progressing it from the simple mouth contact it started as.

The sounds I always suppressed to keep from scaring her were impossible to lock away when she slid her hands down my body to grab mine in order to place them on her. Every part of me wanted to quicken the pace; wanted to lay her down on the ground and take her; claim her as mine, but I held fast onto my mind, which continuously told me to take it easy with her this time.

There would surely be other times in the future when I wouldn't have to hold back. It was just this first time that it was essential. I was conscious of my every move as I familiarized myself with every inch of her body, both over and underneath her clothes.

I intently listened to her sounds and her breathing; everything that could give me any indication she wanted me to stop. At the same time, I didn't falter in my caresses of her or lose focus on my task to make her feel good, and I found another appreciation of being a vampire. It was certainly only to my advantage that I was able to concentrate on several things at once.

When all our clothes had been shed, I felt her tense up, and I immediately stopped my movements, although I remained close to her. "Do you want to stop?" I asked her softly, and then waited patiently for her to tell me.

"I—" she started, but then stopped herself. "No."

I wasn't fully convinced though. "You're not just sayin' that for my sake, right?" I knew she was aware of how much I wanted to continue. After all, it wasn't the easiest for a man to hide such a thing, but it would never mean there was a point of no return. "Just say the word, and I'll be fine with it."

She tightened her hold on me. "I want to continue," she said breathlessly. "I might be tense, but I don't want to be afraid anymore." She leaned her head back and looked me right in the eye. "And I trust that you'll never hurt me."

As I raised my hand to cup her precious face in my hand, I never broke eye contact. "Never," I vowed before using my other hand to trace down her thigh and around the back of her knee.

She didn't react much when I hitched her leg over my hip, but I could detect the nervousness in her eyes when I did the same to the other leg, and held up her entire weight with my arms. It was the only position I could think of for her to be at ease since I didn't want to place her on the ground and accidentally remind her of that dark night in her past, or trap her against a tree or rock wall. This way, she had her back free and the choice to get away whenever she felt the need to.

Before I took the final step, I reassured her one last time. "Just say the word."

She nodded, and then we connected.

Not once did I take my eyes off her face as we moved together even though I wanted nothing more than to lose myself in the moment. It certainly felt amazing, and I knew I'd never experienced such feelings with any of the other women I'd been with, but this was more for my angel than it was for me.

Her nails dug into my shoulders, and I bathed in her breath. When she leaned down and captured my mouth with hers, my need to claim her flared up anew, but I pressed it down once more.

"Angel ..." I breathed out when all the sensations were building up and were becoming too much for me to hold back much longer. "What do you need me to do?"

"Exactly what you are doing," she replied, and then she shocked me by biting down on the crook between my neck and shoulder. It stung and burned, but it also added to everything else I was already feeling, and I could no longer hold back.

With a moan, I called out my angel's name, and in a breathless whisper, I heard her echo the sentiment before she also fell.

* * *

 **A/N:**

I hope you feel I wrote their first time in as justified way as possible. It's not easy to write these things when one part has such a dark sexual past as Rosalie has. I had to tread very carefully.

Also, I want to let you know that I've created a poll on my FFn profile where you can vote for which Origin story you want me to write after this one.


	9. Chapter 8 May 11th 1935

**A/N:**

Poll for which Origin story I should write after this one will remain open until the end of the month! Don't forget to vote :-D Poll is available on Ffn Profile

Also, whenever you see a star next to a word, there will be a description of the word in the bottom AN :)

 **Title:** Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

 **Author:** MarieCarro

 **Beta:** Alice's White Rabbit

 **Pre-reader:** OnlyInValhalla

 **Genre:** Family/Supernatural

 **Rating:** NC-17

 **Summary:** Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 8**

 ** **SATURDAY, MAY 11**** ** **th**** ** **1935****

"I'm sorry," Rosalie said once again. "I don't know what that was. Are you sure it doesn't hurt?"

"Rosie," I said and softly kissed her lips. "It's fine. I promise. Besides, the sting's totally worth it," I continued and had to give her a smirk.

What she and I had just shared had been fantastic, and quite emotional, but I couldn't ever completely remove the humor in me. It was part of who I was, and I also knew my angel mostly appreciated me taking the seriousness off certain situations.

"At least, let me look at it," she insisted, not fully reassured that I wasn't lying to her, and tried to pull the collar of my shirt to the side.

I stopped her by placing a hand on top of hers on my shoulder. "Only if you promise me you won't overreact." Her mark on my neck would most likely remain a while because her teeth had caused the flesh around the bite to swell, and it certainly looked worse than it felt.

She tilted her head to the side and gave me a defiant look. "We'll see. Just let me take a look at the damage I caused."

"Your mark on me ain't somethin' I'll ever regret," I told her but removed my hand from hers to allow her to take a look.

A second passed, and then I felt her lips press gently against the sting that was still present. She didn't say anything about it, and I decided against asking because I had a feeling she liked seeing me with her mark more than she let on.

It surprised me a bit when a sigh escaped her though. "I guess we should get back to the house."

I knew we were still testing boundaries, and that was why I slowly put my arm around her to make sure she was still okay with our prolonged, physical contact. "I don't think you ever told me why you feel so uncomfortable around the others," I said as we walked at a slow pace.

"It's hard to explain and justify it at the same time," she said and determinedly put her own arm around my waist. "Especially to you."

"How so?"

"Because just your presence in my life has changed my perspective enough that even I think it sounds strange."

"If you want to try, I'm more than willin' to listen."

She gave me a beautiful smile in return. "I know. I've just had it bottled up for so long it's scary to let it go."

"You don't have to let it go," I reassured her. "Just release some of the pressure."

She pulled in a large breath, but neither of us stopped walking when she spoke. "I know Carlisle's intention was good. He wanted to save me, and a part of me wants to be grateful that he gave me a second chance at life. Especially now that I know it led me to you. But as I lay dying on the street, I made my peace with death. I wanted to die because I couldn't bear being alive and knowing what Royce and his men did to me. A part of me had already died as it was; the part of me that believed in fairy tales and happily ever afters; the part that wasn't really in love with Royce but in the idea of having a husband like him."

She met my eyes, and hers were filled with a haunted emptiness. "The veil of innocence I had in front of my eyes wasn't gently removed. It was ripped down in the most painful way when I wasn't ready for it. At that point in my life, it was such a huge part of me, and so I was more than half-dead on the inside before Carlisle even bit me."

When she shrugged out from underneath my arm, I thought she was pulling away from me again, as she had the habit of doing when she was uncomfortable, but I was pleased when she entwined our fingers instead. She then studied our hands clasped in each other as she continued.

"The venom healed my body, but that was it. I remained dead inside, and not even revenge made me feel better. I couldn't, and still can't, get over the feeling that I was cheated of my ending. If I weren't going to die of old age in my sleep next to my husband then I would have preferred dying after the attack."

Unexpectedly, Rosalie pulled us off track from the house and led me to a small brook, which was moving wildly over the rocky bed.

"I've already confessed to you that I didn't want any of this, but I don't think you understand how much. From the second I opened my eyes, I hated what I'd become, and I hated it even more that Carlisle had made the decision to save me without knowing what I wanted. He thought his good intentions meant he did the right thing. I hated that they pretended to be a family, and I hated that they wanted to include me in it."

She bent down and scooped up a handful of water, and an incredulous little laugh escaped her as she looked at her vague reflection. "I have to admit, though, that I couldn't stop myself from admiring my enhanced beauty. It was the only thing I enjoyed of my curse." She turned her hand over and shook the remaining drops off. "I didn't want to play their games, but if I was going to retain some of my humanity, then I wanted it to be from the human I used to be. That's why I insist on keeping my own last name."

I could understand her position at some level. But I also knew from the pain in her voice that I would never truly understand her resentment of being forced to live forever in a body she hadn't wanted. I wanted to comfort her to the best of my abilities, though, so I reached out for her, and she willingly stepped into my arms.

"Ain't there anythin' I can do to make it better?" I asked, and she buried her nose into my shirt.

"Just having you in my life now has improved a lot," she mumbled. "So just continue being you, and hopefully, everything will be fine, eventually."

"Whatever you say, babe," I said, and the tightening of her arms around me told me she liked my new term of endearment. "I'll always be here for you."

Once we reached the house, I gave her a light kiss before we parted as she wanted to wash up. I planned to take a shower as well because my angel's scent was very potent all over me, and only an imbecile wouldn't see what that meant. However, before I did that, I wanted to speak with Edward about something I'd thought of while we were out.

I found him in the parlor where he had just finished repairing the two dining room chairs I'd accidentally broken earlier in the week.

"Edward?"

He turned around to me, and when I saw him noticeably relax, I understood he was relieved that I was alone. His and Rosalie's relationship was strained before I entered their life, and it hadn't exactly improved in the last month either.

"Yes?"

"I was hopin' to ask you for a favor," I said, and he immediately nodded.

"Certainly. What do you want?"

I suddenly felt stupid and quite presumptuous for asking what I was about to ask. The Cullens had already given me so much, and here I was asking for more. "Well, you know what I told you about my family, right?"

Of course, he knew. Vampires never forgot anything except their human memories. I wanted to choke myself.

Edward chuckled lightly. "Yes, I remember. Is there something you're concerned about?"

A long time had passed since I felt as uncomfortable as I did in that moment. My family's poverty hadn't bothered me before, but these people I now found myself living with were wealthy in a way I couldn't even imagine. "My family's life in Gatlinburg has most likely become rather difficult since I disappeared. They didn't just lose a son but a vital source of income and food."

"True," Edward agreed. "I can imagine they're struggling."

"I want to help them, and while I ain't assumin' anythin', you folks have money. I was hopin' that maybe I could borrow some from you so I can give it to them."

In a friendly manner, Edward placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled reassuringly. "Emmett, don't worry about it. You're Rosalie's mate, and Carlisle's your sire as much as he is mine. Therefore, you're part of this family. The family's money is yours as well, so if you want to help your human family then you are free to take as much as you want to do that. You don't have to ask for a loan. We have more than enough."

It felt very nice to hear him say that, and I gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you," I said and turned to make my way to Carlisle's study where I knew the safe was. But I stopped my movement and addressed Edward again. "Could you help me? I don't really know how much would be too much or not enough."

"Of course. I'll help you put together a bag," he said, and we both went to the study. "If you don't mind me asking, though, why me? Why not Carlisle? Or even Rosalie?"

I usually didn't converse with Edward through my thoughts unless I wanted to tease him. Mostly because I didn't like to be excluded myself, and it wouldn't be fair of me to do the same toward someone else. However, the subject was rather sensitive, and I knew Rosalie could hear us despite being in the shower.

"Carlisle has my utmost respect. He's welcomed me into this family without question, and I didn't want to beg him for more. It somehow felt easier to come to you," I said out loud at the same time as I continued in my thoughts. _"As much as I adore Rosie, she doesn't understand. I tried to explain my family's situation to her, but the only thing she could focus on was that my birthday practically went by without bein' celebrated."_

"I understand," Edward said, and I knew he referred to both explanations.

In the office, Edward showed me everything they had in folders about their finances. It was somewhat overwhelming to see the numbers, but since I hadn't noticed any conceited behavior from the Cullens just because they had money, I had an easier time processing the thought of never having to worry about having enough again.

"When you feel more in control of your blood lust, either Carlisle or myself will accompany you to the bank to open your own account, as well as add your signature to the important documents, which will give you complete access," Edward explained before turning to the safe where more money was kept than I had ever laid my eyes on at one time before in my life. "Does your family own their house?"

"No," I replied with a hint of annoyance. The fact that the house was rented had been a constant thorn in my parents' sides. "The bank owns it, as well as the land around it on which we have a small farm. We nearly lost everythin' after that stock market crash that happened a few years ago, but Mama was able to convince them that we didn't have any other place to go. We were allowed to live there as long as we paid them every six months. Dad always said he wished he could buy us out, but it was just a distant dream for him."

Edward nodded and filled the bag with bills, and then handed it to me. "Here you go. That should be enough for them to last for quite a while. Maybe even invest it if they choose to do so."

I gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Edward. You're a great guy."

"No problem at all, Emmett. I feel honored that you came to me for help," he said earnestly and moved to close the safe once more.

I couldn't leave just yet, though, and I was aware that he probably could hear every word of my thought process, but I said it out loud anyway. "How much do you remember from your human life?" I asked, and he stopped what he was doing.

"Close to nothing," he admitted. "Everything I have now is what Carlisle has told me. I know my birth parents names, but I have no recollection of what they looked like. I know my family was wealthy, but that's because I own everything they left behind. I know I had a friend named Evelyn because I remember that Carlisle and I had a conversation about her after my transformation, but that's it."

He sounded strangely detached when he told me this, and I wondered why he hadn't even made an attempt to keep some of his memories. I know I said straight out of my transformation that I didn't see any worth in keeping my own memories, but I disagreed with that now. "Do you ever feel sad that you don't remember?" I tried again.

Not to my surprise, he shook his head. "No. I have no emotional attachment to the memories I have, and I can't really feel depressed over what I don't remember."

It terrified me that I might feel that way toward my memories of my family one day. Especially my memories of Bea.

"I do believe Rosalie told you that if you think enough about something, it will stay with you," Edward continued, obviously having read my thoughts about my sweet little sister.

While the money in the bag was intended for the entire family, I truly hoped Bea would be allowed to continue her education. "I just don't want her to end up a *split like those women I associated with. She's far too intelligent for that, and she deserves so much more," I told him, and I was certain my worry was evident in my eyes.

"When was she pulled out of school?"

"Six years ago. Right after the crash. Neither of us could continue school."

Edward appeared to be thinking hard about something for a moment before he addressed me again. "How would your family react if I paid for your sister's school tuition until she can graduate? Would they accept it?"

I was close to being shocked into silence at hearing his suggestion. It was more than I ever would have asked for from him. "They would believe it to be a fraud and probably prevent her from going," I told him honestly since I knew my dad was too proud to take money from a stranger, especially if he couldn't be certain it was for real.

"Even if your name is on the documents?"

It was difficult for me to follow him and understand what he was saying. Mostly because I was still reeling from shock. "What do you mean?"

"I'll take care of the payments from the joint family account, but I'll tell the bankers that the money is from Emmett McCarty. If your family's presented with the proof that all of this—the money in the bag, your sister's tuition—is from you, would they still believe it to be a fraud?"

"I don't think so," I said, but I wasn't all-too certain about that. "They'd still wonder how I'd come into such a large sum of money in less than a month though."

Edward shrugged. "Does that matter though? Would they be reluctant to take the money if they thought you were up to no good?"

I immediately shook my head. "No, they need it too much. And it wouldn't be the first time I acquired money from less honest sources."

"That settles it then," Edward said. "I'll just make a few phone calls and set it all up."

We parted outside the office so I could wash up and change my clothes, as well as tell Rosalie what I wanted to do. I knew she'd be somewhat against it, but I hoped I could get her to see it my way.

She was in the middle of drying her golden locks with a strange contraption she claimed was called an electric hair dryer. Whatever it was called, I'd never seen one before, and it made an awful lot of noise. She was also only wearing a long silk robe, and her bare leg was visible as she had it crossed over the other.

My desire for her ignited, and I wished she would have allowed me to carry her over to her bed, but I was certain it would take months, or perhaps even years, before she felt comfortable to be with me while there were others in the house.

"What's with the bag?" she asked as she had seen me in the mirror when I entered.

I placed the bag on the floor and went up behind her. She smiled at me through the mirror and reached up to squeeze my hand, which I'd placed on her shoulders.

"How would you feel about takin' a little trip to Tennessee?"

She killed the hair dryer and turned to look at me. "What are you talking about?"

"I had Edward help me put together a bag of money for my family. I was hopin' you'd come with me to drop it off," I explained and nodded toward said bag.

"Why?" she asked, and I immediately noticed the hint of anger in her voice, as well as the tension in her body.

Luckily, I had become a sort of expert at reading her body language, and I had a fair guess of why she was upset. I leaned down so I was closer to her ear. "Babe, as I've said before, I'll never regret you savin' me. I know this is my new home, and my new family is with you, but I can't move on in life in good conscience, knowin' I could help my family and I didn't."

I tried to get her to meet my eyes in the mirror, but she was stubbornly looking to the side. Too bad for her, I could be equally stubborn. "Rosie, I belong with you and no one else. I will remain yours long after my ashes are spread in the wind."

Finally, she turned to me. "Promise?"

"I vow it," I replied and gave her a kiss on the tip of her nose that made her giggle adorably.

She placed her arms around my neck, and when I stood up straight, she followed along. "I guess we're going back to Tennessee then."

Later in the day, when we were just about to leave, Edward announced that he was coming with us, much to Rosalie's chagrin.

"Why?" she asked angrily with narrowed eyes. "I handled this journey just fine when I was by myself. Why do we suddenly need a babysitter?"

Edward, who was obviously used to my angel's temper, didn't let it get to him and remained calm. He'd clearly learned that from our leader. "Firstly, Carlisle asked me to go with you, and secondly, last time you only had to keep control of yourself. The worst thing that could have happened was if you'd killed Emmett on the way back." He looked at me. "No offense."

I shrugged. "None taken."

He turned back to her. "You might have proven yourself to have extraordinary control over your own blood lust, but the fact is you're only two years into this life, and Emmett hasn't even passed one month yet. If he loses control, there's no way for you to stop him by yourself."

She huffed and crossed her arms, but it was clear she accepted that we needed someone with us. That didn't mean she liked that it was Edward who'd been assigned the mission though.

I didn't exactly mind. I had nothing against Edward, except perhaps that he could stand to loosen up a bit at times. In fact, he sort of reminded me of Sam, or the way I imagined him in a few years.

We didn't speak much as Rosalie took the lead, and while our surroundings in general looked different to me through my new eyes, the feeling of familiarity when we reached the mountains just above Gatlinburg was impossible to shake.

The day of the bear attack was a complete blur in my head, and I knew I would never be able to paint a picture of the clearing where it happened, but despite the night that had fallen around us, I shuddered violently when I thought I saw the place just through the trees.

When we reached the foot of the mountain where I so many times had met up with Sam, we slowed to a walk, and I took it upon myself to guide the other two toward my family's house. I had the bag with the money tightly clutched in my hand.

Just before we reached the edge of the grounds surrounding the house, I had to stop for a moment. I could already hear the heartbeats of my sleeping family, and it tore at me to be so close to them, yet I wouldn't be able to reassure them that I was fine.

I swallowed thickly as Rosalie and Edward patiently waited for us to continue. "You know," I said quietly. "When that bear was about to kill me, I was certain I'd never see this place again."

Rosalie grabbed my free hand and held it tightly in hers. "Can you handle it? Or do you want me to do it?"

Immediately, I shook my head. "No, it should be me. After all, it was my idea."

We sneaked closer, and the small house I'd called home for my entire life became visible. It was a warm summer night so the horses were grazing in the pen, but most of the animals had already gone to sleep.

Before I could get any closer, Rosalie stopped me with a small tug of her hand.

"Edward and I will wait here," she said. "Hold your breath as you go closer. That way you won't smell them, and they'll remain as they were in your memories."

I nodded, grateful for the advice, and did exactly as she told me to do. I didn't take a single breath as I placed the bag on the porch and left a letter with instructions on how they were to get access to the funds that would pay for Bea's education. There was also a personal letter for each member of my family where I apologized for disappearing and also explained I wouldn't come back. I hoped they'd be happy enough to know I'd found my destiny.

I went back to my new family, and Rosalie instantly wrapped a comforting arm around my waist. "I'm ready to go home," I told them both as I bid my human family farewell in my mind.

* * *

 ** **A/N:****

 ** ***Split –**** A 30s slang for a loose woman

Another little part we knew of Emmett's story portrayed here! Did I do it justice? Was there anything you missed or would have wanted?

Love to hear your thought!

As Always,

Stay Awesome


	10. Chapter 9 May 17th - August 15th 1935

**A/N:**

So many of you hoped to hear what happened to Emmett's family after he left the money on the porch, and well, you'll get to know a little bit here :)

 **Title:** Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

 **Author:** MarieCarro

 **Beta:** Alice's White Rabbit

 **Pre-reader:** BitterHarpy

 **Genre:** Family/Supernatural

 **Rating:** NC-17

 **Summary:** Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 9**

 ** **FRIDAY, MAY 17**** ** **th**** ** **1935**** ** **– THURSDAY, AUGUST 15**** ** **th**** ** **1935****

I was pacing the length of Rosalie's room in agitation, yet again, as my mind assaulted me with thoughts of our journey to Gatlinburg and back. It had been the first time after my change that I'd traveled farther away from the house than the forest that surrounded it, and it was a given something would occur. In fact, we'd anticipated it. That was why Edward accompanied us, after all. However, his and Rosalie's strength combined did nothing to stop me. It was doomed from the beginning.

Closing my eyes, I was sucked into the memory of the warm and delicious blood as it soothed my burning throat. The elderly man who was the first human I smelled didn't stand a chance.

I lost control. Although, I wasn't certain you could lose something you never had. I thought I was strong, and that I'd be able to hold myself back if it came to it, but I had seriously underestimated the pull of the hunt once your true instincts kicked in.

Rosalie entered the room and sighed when she saw what I was doing. "You're not still agonizing over killing that man, are you?" she asked and got me to at least stand still.

"Of course, I am. How could I not?"

She placed her hands on my cheeks and gave me a quick kiss. "Because there's nothing you can do about it now. There's no need for you to feel all this guilt."

I let out an incredulous laugh. "Babe, I'm not agonizin' out of guilt. In reality, it's the other way around."

"What do you mean?" A confused frown marred her face, and I smoothed out the wrinkles with my fingers.

"I'm agonizin' 'cause I ain't feelin' any guilt." I turned my back on her to face the window. "You know I don't like huntin' animals. I've only done it for you 'cause a part of me recognizes I won't be allowed to stay with this family if I did what I want to do. What my body wants me to do."

"I know." I looked at her over my shoulder, and it was clear in her eyes that she understood what I meant. "You know I feel the same way."

"And you've yet to explain to me why you haven't broken away from this," I said and gestured toward the abundance of stuff and wealth around her. "If you feel as I do, why do you want to stay? Carlisle told me my first day I could leave whenever I wanted, and I'm certain he did the same to you."

"Of course, he did," she said exasperatedly and crossed her arms as she always did when she was uncomfortable. "It's not that easy."

I went up to her and placed my hands on her upper arms. "On the contrary, nothin's easier."

She shrugged away from me. "No, you don't understand."

"Then help me to."

"I'm scared, Emmett," she admitted in a whisper as if she were ashamed. "I've had wealth my entire life. I don't know how to live a life without a permanent home. I'm not a nature lover like you are. The mere thought of wearing the same clothes for months and only washing myself in rivers terrifies me."

She looked down at her hands, which looked as delicate as a society lady's but were more lethal than a wild animal's claws. "I don't belong out there, or to live any sort of nomadic life. I'm fine with this restricted lifestyle if it means I get to keep some of what I'm used to." Without looking back up at me, she then continued in a thick voice. "I won't force you to stay here for my sake though. If you want to leave, I won't stop you."

Before she had the chance to flee from me, I placed myself in her path. "You must be outside your mind if you believe I'd ever leave you for somethin' I can live without. Contrary to human blood, I can't live without you."

Without a pause, she threw her arms around my neck, and I lifted her up until she had to wind her legs around my waist. She crashed her mouth against mine, and I happily reciprocated her aggressive passion. In less than a second, I wanted her more than I wanted anything else, but before I could take one step toward her bed, she stopped me.

"I actually came up here because there's something downstairs I want to show you," she said. "I was hoping it would distract you from your agitation."

Her legs were still wrapped around me, and my mind was mostly focused on what I would have preferred to be doing with her now. "I'd say my agitation's the furthest thing from my mind right now."

"Please?" she pleaded. "I really want you to see it."

I held in my disappointed groan and let her down again so she could lead me downstairs.

Whatever I could have imagined she wanted to show me, the last thing I expected was the entire downstairs decorated for a birthday celebration, as well as a pile of gifts on the dining room table.

"What's all this?" I asked the others as they were also present.

Esme smiled at me. "Rosalie told us your birthday was just a few days before your change and that you never really celebrated it. We wanted to make up for it."

I was speechless as I tried to take it all in. Never had there been such a big affair made of my birthday since my former family couldn't afford it. I had never minded though. "I don't know what to say," I said honestly.

"You don't have to say anything," Rosalie insisted and pulled me toward the pile of gifts. "It's not much, but it was what we were able to pull together in this short amount of time. We're also going to go away for a few days so you get to see a bit more than just the inside of this house. All of us are going."

"It's a hell of a lot more than I'm used to gettin'."

Esme cleared her throat, and when I looked over at her, she gave me a look that made me realize what word I'd used. I felt reprimanded in the same way Mama used to make me feel when I behaved badly.

The thought made me smile. Esme had already decided to take me on as another son, and I had nothing against it at all. "Sorry," I said now, and she nodded appreciatively.

The family gathered around to watch as I opened the gifts, and while I appreciated everything I got, in truth, I felt somewhat uncomfortable with it all. I refused to show it though, and I smiled with each gift I opened.

It was clear all of them had put thought into their gifts, but if I were to be honest, I wasn't quite sure what I'd use the leather-bound journal I got from Edward for, and the storybook I got from Carlisle was obviously supposed to be a more amusing gift, but I was rather reluctant to tell him I wasn't very good at reading.

Still, I opened it to the first page, and under the title, _Fairy tales, Fables & Mythology,_ it said it was one of the earliest editions from 1883.

"I got myself some good laughs from books like these when I studied in Europe," Carlisle explained. "It's always amusing to read what the human imagination pictures us to be."

The two gifts I appreciated the most were from Esme and Rosalie.

Esme gave me a small album with photos and news-clippings about Gatlinburg, as well as a framed article with a photo of my family. The headline read _Local family's prayers were answered by God._

I looked at her in confusion and awe.

"They interviewed your family about the money you left them," she explained. "They don't say directly that it was from you, but there are clues in there for those of us who are in the know." She smiled at me. "Memories are precious, and now you will forever know that you truly helped your family and saved their lives."

It was a very touching gesture, and I simply had to give her a hug for it, although I was extra careful since I was still a lot stronger than she was. Esme hugged me back, and when we parted, her eyes were blank.

The last gift I opened was from Rosalie, and at first, I didn't know what it was as I only saw engraved silver. However, when I took it out of the box, I saw that it was an impressive black bear claw.

"It's not from the bear that attacked you," she explained as I continued to look at the claw in awe. "But it's something that will remind you of how we met."

"It's perfect," I said and walked up to her to give her a kiss. "I'll always have it with me." I faced the others. "Thank you for all of your gifts. Really. It's more than I ever would have asked for."

"It was our pleasure," Esme said sweetly.

"I guess we can head out then," Carlisle said. "If all of us are ready, that is?"

"Where are we going anyway?" I asked.

"There are a lot of mountains here in West Virginia," Edward said. "We can go wherever you want."

"And there are also a lot of black bears," Rosalie continued and gave me a suggestive look that caused me to smile. My angel already knew me better than anyone and how much I'd been itching to test my new vampire strength against a beast similar to the one that would have taken my life had she not saved me.

Hours later, Rosalie and I were alone, both of us sated from our kills, and our kisses were growing bolder by the second. The wall that had been so thick between us before was nonexistent now, and I could do nothing but look forward to our future together.

 **{=DITM=}**

"Do you think this is too much?" I asked Esme and Edward as they helped me with the finishing touches on the decorations in Rosalie's room.

"Yes," Edward immediately said, but Esme just hit him warningly on the arm with the back of her hand.

"It's beautiful, Emmett," she reassured me. "And exactly what Rosalie likes. Your brother will understand when it's his turn," she finished with a glare in Edward's direction.

"Good," I said and tried to calm my nerves. It was the first time I had ever attempted anything of this sort with a woman, and I was terrified.

Esme waved Edward out of the room and then went up to me. "What are you worried about? You and Rosalie are meant to be together."

I twirled the small box in my hand. "That's what it feels like. Everythin' is just right when I'm with her, but is it too soon? It's only four months since we first met."

She smiled before she took the box out of my hand, popped the lid, and held it out in front of me. "What made you choose this one?"

I looked at the ring I'd picked out: silver and platinum, intricate design in the metal, and several small stones surrounding the large, round diamond in the middle.

"I don't know," I said honestly. "It just felt right."

"And it's perfect for her." She closed the lid again and handed the box back to me. "I can say that with certainty because I've lived with her for two and half years, yet you know her better than I ever could." She stroked my cheek in a motherly fashion. "You have nothing to worry about."

"Thank you, Esme."

She turned to leave but changed her mind. "And also, vampire relationships progress quite differently. When we know someone is right for us, that doesn't change. We don't need time to get to know our partners in the same way humans do." She placed a hand over her heart. "Believe me, I know. I was ready to say 'I do' before a month had passed, but Carlisle and I had obstacles which you and Rosalie don't."

I smiled at her, grateful for her words and reassurance, but then I heard the front door open, and the familiar sound of my angel breathing reached my ears. Esme left me alone in the room, and I waited.

It took only seconds before the absolute vision that was my girl enter my sight. Her usually closed-off expression softened the instant she took in the thousands of white roses I'd filled the room with, and when her golden eyes met mine, I knew she knew what I was about to do.

And she didn't run away, so that was a good sign.

"Rosie?"

"Oh my," she breathed out and placed a hand over her silent heart almost as if she could feel it beat again.

"Rosie," I said again and approached her. "You are my savior, my angel, and the woman who turned my entire world upside down. Before I met you, I was certain I would never take this step, but you have convinced me nothin' would make me happier." I took her hands in my own and went down on one knee in a movement as controlled as I could muster. However, my body was impatient, and my nerves threatened to make a fool of me by spewing out something inappropriate. "I know you said you want to keep your family name in order to hold on to just one part of your humanity." I held up the box and opened the lid. "But would you consider becomin' Mrs. McCarty?"

I had never seen the look she gave me before. It was filled with unadulterated emotion, and I instinctively knew she would have cried had she been able to. But she hadn't answered the question, and so I wasn't sure if it was happy tears or the opposite.

"Emmett, I ..." She trailed off, and I thought I was going to turn to ash at any second. "I wasn't expecting this from you, but yes!"

It took a short moment for me to take in what she said until she repeated it.

"Yes, I'd love to marry you!"

A grin broke out on my face, and I placed the ring on her finger before standing up to kiss her until she was as breathless as I felt. Her arms were wound tightly around my neck, and I never wanted to let her go.

She was mine, and now we would make it official. Of course, the entire thing was more for her than it was for me. I was a simple man. I didn't need extravagance or even a proper ceremony, but I knew my angel did. Unlike me, she enjoyed the fancy stuff, and I would be damned if I didn't give it to her.

"I want you to have what you were cheated of," I said against her lips when we parted, our foreheads still touching. "I want you to have the wedding of your dreams."

She laughed softly in elated happiness. "Just having you stand in the front as the groom has made my dream better than I could have imagined."

* * *

 ** **A/N:****

How sweet! Do you think it was sweet? I tried to make the proposal as Emmett-like as possible and not use any of the things Edward said when he proposes to Bella in Eclipse. I know a lot of fanfiction writers like to use his words, so I stayed clear of them as this is Emmett's story ;-)

Let me know what you thought!

As Always,

Stay Awesome!


	11. Chapter 10 July 16th - July 18th 1936

**A/N:**

This is what happens when I'm out of a job for too long! I completely lose track of time -.- I was so convinced it was Tuesday yesterday, so when I realized it's Thursday now and I missed giving you your dose of Emmett yesterday, I wanted to bang my head against the wall xD

I took liberties in this chapter. The inspiration for their house in Hoquiam is the Joseph Lytle home, and I know his wife lived there throughout the 30s, but let's say this house is a similar house that only exists in the Twilight Universe :-P

Picture available on my website!

 **Title:** Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

 **Author:** MarieCarro

 **Beta:** Alice's White Rabbit

 **Pre-reader:** BitterHarpy

 **Genre:** Family/Supernatural

 **Rating:** NC-17

 **Summary:** Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 10**

 **THURSDAY, JULY 16** **th** **– SATURDAY, JULY 18** **th** **1936**

"It's time for us to move on," Carlisle announced one day about a year after I was changed. "I had a man relentlessly question my age today at the hospital."

"I'm sorry, honey," Esme said as she took his coat from him. "But you know three years isn't bad. We'll just start out younger in the next town."

"We started out young in this town," Edward sighed. "Maybe the humans are just becoming more perceptive. If we start out too young, you know they'll question that instead."

"He's right," Carlisle agreed. "We need to find smaller towns with fewer people in it."

"But wouldn't that do the opposite of what you're tryin' to do?" I asked, and they all turned to me. "I know small towns. I lived in one for most of my life. Everyone knows everyone in towns like that. We wouldn't exactly blend in."

"No, we definitely wouldn't," Rosalie agreed with me. "It sounds to me as if we should try larger cities. Not smaller."

Carlisle shook his head. "No. Larger cities mean more exposure if we're caught. It's better if we keep to what we know."

Rosalie ground her teeth next to me, and I knew why. Once again, Carlisle shot her down and praised Edward. I grabbed her hand in mine and kissed the back of it to calm her down, the ring I gave her sparkled in the light, before tucking her under my arm.

I knew it irritated her, but after a year with this family, I'd come to understand better why Carlisle so often agreed and confided in Edward. He was his first companion, and it wasn't a mystery to me that the two of them had a somewhat more special bond. I also knew Rosalie's annoyance had a lot to do with us having to re-plan several aspects of our upcoming wedding now. We'd planned it for so long, and now, we'd have to make changes to it.

Of course, it didn't sit well with my angel.

For a second, Carlisle disappeared up the stairs, and when he came back, he had a map with him, which he spread out on the dining room table and then asked us all to gather around it.

"Oregon is quite a rainy state, but we lived there only fifteen years ago. We'd risk coming across people we've met before there," Carlisle mused.

"What about Washington?" Edward asked. "We haven't lived there once since you changed me. There are a lot of forests there and not too many larger cities."

"Yes, that's a good option," Carlisle said and allowed his eyes to wander over the smattering of smaller dots all over the state. He left for a second again, and then came back with a thick volume. "There're two smaller cities in Grays Harbor County: Hoquiam and Aberdeen. Hoquiam's half the size in population though."

"What about employment opportunities for you?" Edward asked, obviously well versed in these sorts of discussions. "And occupations for the rest of us?"

"Both cities have high schools, but the county college is in Aberdeen."

Edward nodded, and the rest of us stood, mostly quiet, as we didn't feel we had anything of importance to contribute.

"Since we're going for smaller, I think we should try Hoquiam," Edward suggested, and Carlisle obviously agreed with him. "Even though the college is in Aberdeen, it's only five miles in-between."

"That settles it then," Carlisle said and closed the volume in his hands. "Hoquiam it is."

"Great," Rosalie breathed out quietly without even trying to hide her sarcasm.

I stroked her cheek gently. "You do this a lot, don't you? Movin' around."

"Unfortunately, yes. It's inevitable when you don't age."

"What about it do you dislike the most?" I asked her as she pressed herself tighter against my side. It had been a slow ride, but my angel had finally stopped being scared of the physical side of our relationship. Most of the time, she was actually the one who initiated it, and when we were around the others, she almost always made sure that we touched in some way, whether it was holding hands, or me having my arm around her shoulders.

"Right now? Everything. Moving means starting over, and with our wedding closing in, the last thing I want is to go to school." She pursed her mouth in dissatisfaction. "It feels as if every time a place starts to feel like home, we have to move again."

I could understand her frustration, but an idea almost immediately formed in my head, and I hoped she'd be open to the idea. "What if we got a place of our own?"

She leaned away to look at me. "What?"

"Yeah, you know when I have more control and all of that. We could get a place somewhere that's just ours, and whenever you yearn for a place to call home, you and I could go there to be alone."

Before Rosalie could answer, Esme came up to us. "Emmett, that's such a lovely idea. I'd love to help you design it when you know where you want it."

"Really?" I asked, a bit surprised. "You mean you wouldn't mind Rosalie and me bein' on our own from time to time?"

She gave us a somewhat amused smile. "As happy as all of us are for the two of you, I believe the entire family would feel some relief if there were intervals between having to listen to you being … _together_."

I laughed at her; it was impossible to keep it in, and fortunately, she took it in good stride. Since I was still waiting for an answer from Rosalie, though, I turned back to her.

She was looking at me in awe. "I'd love having a place that's just ours. It's what I've always dreamed of."

We kissed, and she tightened her arms around me.

"And you don't have to go back to school if you don't want to," Carlisle said over his shoulder and looked at us. "Emmett's not ready for it yet, so the two of you can claim you're attending the college in Aberdeen."

He faced us fully and gave Rosalie an apologetic look. "I know this interferes with your wedding, and I'm sorry. But I will personally make sure you have a wedding at least as beautiful as the one you planned here."

 **{=DITM=}**

I climbed out of the car and stared at the house in front of us, but I couldn't really take it in. It was three stories tall and pale yellow. It sort of looked like a castle but on a smaller scale.

It was also situated in the middle of a popular neighborhood, and the streets were filled with playing children. The moist heat from the impending rain made their aroma smell even more enticing, but I was keeping my muscles locked up. If there was one kind of human I would never hunt, it was children.

"Wow, Carlisle, it's big," Esme commented as she also tried to take in the splendor of the house, then she worriedly looked over her shoulder at the playing children. "And busy."

"And the only house I could acquire with such short notice," he finished with the explanation why he'd chosen it. "I know it's not ideal, but we've lived in neighborhoods like this one before."

"You and Edward did," Esme reminded him. "But we left a week after I was changed, remember?"

"None of us are newborns anymore," he said gently and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. "Don't worry. We'll handle it." He entwined his fingers with hers and turned to the rest of us. "I know this move was sudden—"

"When isn't it ever?" Rosalie interrupted with clear annoyance in her voice. She hadn't yet gotten over having to postpone our wedding. I just tightened my arm around her to subtly tell her this wasn't the time to give attitude. She wasn't the only one who was affected by it, after all.

Personally, I'd never been this far away from my former home, and pretty much everything felt foreign.

Carlisle ignored Rosalie's remark. "But I'm positive we can have a few nice years here. So the neighborhood is busier than we're used to, we'll still take the same precautions as we always have."

We walked inside the house together, and it was instantly clear to me that the house must have been built by one of the more affluent employees in one of the factories in the county that was focused on the lumber industry. The wooden floors and the details in the woodwork around the entry hall were of high quality, and I felt even more out of place in this house than I first did in the house in West Virginia.

This house screamed wealth in a much less subtle way, and I was positive our move into it would cause talk in town. It would already prove a challenge for me to live in a house in such close proximity to humans, and I could only hope there wouldn't be a stream of visitors knocking on our door to get a good look at the family who could afford this castle.

"Before we do anything else, we need to go over our new cover story," Carlisle said. "The previous one will no longer work now that Emmett's with us, and it also has to allow for your romantic relationship."

"I don't think we need to make too many changes," Edward said. "Emmett and I could be brothers—Esme's nephews—and Rosalie can be Carlisle's little sister."

Carlisle nodded to himself. "Yes, that could definitely work. Easy, simple enough for humans to accept. If it works for the rest of you?"

"As long as I can be with Rosie without inhibitions, I'm fine with whatever," I said to bring some lightness into the conversation, and it worked well enough. It caused Rosalie to giggle and pull me down to give her a kiss while the others rolled their eyes.

"I beg you to practice some restraint," Edward pleaded with a look toward the two of us. "At least, while the rest of us are around."

Carlisle ignored us and continued. "Great, then all there is left to do is to convince our new neighbors we're good and honest people." We all heard the steps on the porch stairs as our new, curious neighbors approached.

"I'll sit this one out," I said and started to move up the stairs, and Rosalie wasn't far behind. "I'm not ready to be in the same room as a human just yet."

"Of course. You two can choose a room in the meantime."

"Sounds like a plan," Rosalie replied, but she was giving me the look that I knew meant she was in the mood. I was about to lift her up and run us both up the stairs when Esme sighed. Unfortunately, she had picked up on the same thing as I had.

"I don't think it's a good idea for you two to engage in _those activities_ when we're about to have guests," she reprimanded softly. "You have a tendency to break things, and those sounds will be heard by humans."

We were both disappointed, but we also knew she was right. Therefore, we made a show for her that we were only holding hands while walking calmly up the stairs.

"If I hear one crack from up there, you will have to live with a broken room until we move because I will not pay for the repairs," she threatened, but it only caused me to laugh. Not because I doubted her sincerity, but more because she knew her threat was necessary.

Out of respect for Esme, Rosalie and I pushed our desire aside, but I still placed my arm around her shoulder as we walked down the upstairs hall to look at the rooms. It was as if a part of me slowly died whenever I wasn't touching my angel, and I had a feeling she felt the same. What was strange was that the feeling hadn't really been there before we had sex the first time.

Maybe we needed to ask Carlisle about that. While I had nothing personally against being constantly close to my fiancée and soon-to-be wife, I had a feeling it wouldn't be plausible once I needed to go out in the world and contribute to our cover story.

"This will be the first room you and I share from the beginning," Rosalie said with a smile. "I hope you're not going to make me choose by myself."

"Definitely not, although, I'll leave the decoratin' for you," I replied with a wink and gave her a kiss. "I believe my interior decoratin' skills are a bit simple for your tastes."

"Are you calling me high maintenance?" she said with an expression of mock offense.

"Of course, I am," I replied with a grin. "But it's the way I like you, babe."

A sweet smile took over her face, the sort of smile she reserved for only me, and it made my silent heart clench with love each time I saw it. When she gave me the privilege of seeing her soft and loving side, I felt like the luckiest man on earth, and I couldn't be more thankful that I'd been given the chance to be hers.

I was aware there were still things she needed to work through, both in her past and present life, before she could be completely happy. There was also a part of me that knew and recognized there were things I'd never be able to give her—things she longed for passionately—but I was grateful for those fleeting moments when just being with me was enough.

Still, she was my angel by being the exact person she was, and I wouldn't ever dream of changing a single thing about her. She hated being a vampire, and I knew that her deepest wish was to become human again; however, I was happy she had been strong enough to save me when I needed it.

It was my turn to save her now. Not from a physical threat but from the darkness inside her, the darkness that would consume her if she allowed it.

I'd be damned if I ever let that happen, though.

* * *

 ** **A/N:****

They're in Washington now so I'm certain you guys can figure out what's about to happen ;-)

A reminder from up top: All visuals can be found on my website and the link/address is on my profile :-D


	12. Chapter 11 January 9th 1937

**A/N:**

When you read in the chapter that Edward's playing on the piano, I imagined it to be _Edward Newton_ 's piano cover of _Jerome Kern_ 's _The Way You Look Tonight_ , released in 1936

 **Title:** Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

 **Author:** MarieCarro

 **Beta:** Alice's White Rabbit

 **Pre-reader:** BitterHarpy

 **Genre:** Family/Supernatural

 **Rating:** NC-17

 **Summary:** Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 11**

 **SATURDAY, JANUARY 9** **th** **1937**

"How are you feeling?" Edward asked me as he corrected the cravat around my neck. "Nervous?"

"Not really," I said honestly with a shake of my head. "I was more nervous when I proposed, but now, I know she wants this, you know?"

Edward chuckled. "Oh, I know exactly how much she wants this."

"You'll live longer if you stay out of her head," I said in response. "You know how much she hates your gift."

"What doesn't she hate?" he retaliated but rolled his eyes when I gave him a warning look about talking trash about my Rosie. "Besides, you know how much I wish I could put her thoughts on mute. However, they tend to get rather loud when she's around you."

Now it was my turn to laugh. "You can't fault me for having an effect on my mate."

"I'm not. I'm just explaining to you how it is. Maybe I'm hoping you can talk to her about it and put us both out of our misery."

"Sure, but not tonight. I kinda had something else planned," I said and winked at him as well as threw some images his way for fun.

He cringed. "I know. You don't have to show me. As long as both of you are as far away from the house as possible, I'll be happy."

I clapped him on the shoulder, finally having some semblance of control over my strength, which had not dissipated after my newborn year despite what the others thought. "Just wait, Eddie. When it's your turn, you'll understand how strong the physical pull is and completely futile to fight."

"I've told you before, and I'll tell you again. Don't call me Eddie," he said with a groan, which caused me to roll my eyes. I'd never encountered anyone who had a problem with a simple nickname before.

"What's your issue with that name anyway?"

My question caused Edward to stop for a second and think. "I actually don't know," he replied. "Most likely something in my past that I've forgotten. All I know is that I hate it, and my entire body crawls when I hear it."

I looked at my mirror image and shook my head.

"That suit is tailored for you, so no, you do not look ridiculous," Edward answered my unspoken thoughts.

"It's not so much the suit." I sighed. "I feel like a fraud in it. I'm not used to this being the new me."

"It's not the new you," Edward assured me. He was wearing a similar suit, but since he'd been raised in wealth, he moved around in the garments as if he was born in them. "It's the cover we keep for everybody else. You know as well as me that this isn't your real wedding. That's not until tonight, and Rosalie agreed that you wouldn't have to wear all of this for that ceremony, didn't she?"

"Doesn't make me any more comfortable."

Edward shrugged. "No, but hasn't your main argument for everything lately been that you're doing this for Rose?" He had me there, and he knew it. "See this as a rehearsal. The names on the marriage certificate will be _Rosalie Cullen_ and _Emmett Masen_. Not Hale or McCarty. This is a show. For them." He pointed out the window where guests were slowly walking into the church. "It won't be the last show you put on, so you'd better get used to it."

I grabbed my hat from a chair without another word because I knew he was right. "Raise the curtain," I said, and after one last encouraging smile from Edward, the both of us left the room to find our spots up front in the church.

 ** **{=DITM=}****

It was dark outside, but the conservatory was lit up in iridescent light by the large number of candles we'd lit up, and while it was still dim, and probably somewhat difficult for the human priest to see, the rest of us saw perfectly. We'd provided extra light for him to make it easier to read the passages he needed from his bible, though.

Edward turned his head when all of us heard Carlisle and Rosalie's first steps at the top of the stairs and then started to softly play on his piano.

It didn't matter that in the eyes of the citizens of Hoquiam, Rosalie and I were already married, or that just a few hours earlier we had exchanged vows under our aliases because this was the memory I would keep with me forever.

As Carlisle entered around the corner, with Rosalie on his arm, I knew I'd never seen her as beautiful as she looked at that moment. She wasn't wearing the elaborate lace dress and fur stole she'd had in the church, nor was her hair rolled up in the style that was appropriate for a wedding.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed the priest squirm uncomfortably at the sight of my angel's golden locks let down to frame her face, but I didn't care what he thought. I knew Rosalie had made herself look the way she did for me. Unlike the previous ceremony, this one represented us the way we were with each other, without all pretenses and walls. Just her and me and the love that had brought us to this moment.

Carlisle gave her over to me, and while I was aware and heard the priest talking, I wasn't listening. I was too busy looking into my angel's eyes.

Like I told her when I proposed, I knew in my heart that I wasn't the marrying type, at least, not until I met her. And maybe that was the reason. Maybe my destiny had always been to find her, and I simply wouldn't have functioned in a marriage unless it had been with Miss Rosalie Hale.

For me, there was no other way to explain it.

In order to keep the priest in the dark, we hadn't given him a story about any of our relationships because both Rosalie and I wanted this ceremony to include our real names. It sent a thrill through me when he turned to my bride.

"Rosalie Lillian Hale, do you take Emmett Brian McCarty to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, to love, honor, and cherish, in sickness and health, forsaking all others, until death parts you?"

"I do," she said determinedly.

Edward had asked us why we wanted to keep the part "until death parts you" since it was obvious a situation like that would never happen, but Rosalie had simply answered him with, "I'd like to be as normal as possible on my wedding day, and I don't want any thoughts of immortality to ruin that."

"And Emmett Brian McCarty, do you take Rosalie Lillian Hale to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, to love, honor, and cherish, in sickness and health, forsaking all others, until death parts you?"

I felt too filled up with joy to care about being appropriate, but I still censored what I really wanted to say to keep from embarrassing Rose. "You bet I do."

A chuckle escaped Edward, most likely because he'd heard the uncensored version of my answer, and I was triumphant to hear that he was loosening up a bit. I saw that as a win in itself.

Finally, the priest told me I could kiss my new wife, and once again, while I would have preferred to keep it less chaste, I did so for her sake. I still lifted her in the air, though, and fortunately, she didn't mind.

In the background, I heard the priest present us to our family as Mr. and Mrs. Emmett McCarty, and then the others surrounded us. As Esme hugged Rosalie, I caught her eye, and she gave me a subtle nod, but apparently not subtle enough because Rosalie leaned away from their embrace and gave her a questioning look.

I saw that as my cue, and I intercepted the two women. "Rosie, I have a surprise for you."

Her smile was lovely; her happiness caused her to glow. "What?"

"I can't tell you yet, but I have to ask you to go upstairs and change into something more appropriate for running," I said vaguely, and it excited me to see a curious glint light up her eyes. My angel loved it when I surprised her because she knew I liked to spoil her quite a lot.

As she disappeared up the stairs, Carlisle thanked the priest and sent him on his way, Edward blew out the burning candles, and Esme slipped me the key to the house in Portland, which was the surprise I had for Rosie.

I hadn't brought the subject of us getting a place of our own up again after that first time, but Esme and I had planned it ever since, and I had just waited for the perfect opportunity to show it. The Edwardian manor had needed some restoration since it had been transformed into a boarding house after the economic crises started, and was still ongoing around the entire country, but it had stood finished for over a month now.

Esme had assured me Rosalie would love it because she had designed the renovations completely after her taste. However, I was still nervous about presenting such a huge gift to my wife, whom I knew would have wanted a part in deciding which house would be only ours. Hopefully, she wouldn't be too put out with me for going behind her back.

"Will you tell me now what the surprise is?" Rosalie asked as she came up behind me, her wedding dress now changed into a dark green cotton dress and an unnecessary winter coat. She'd obviously put the coat on in case we were going to move around humans, but I had already planned the route for us so we could run undisturbed the entire way to the front door. However, I didn't tell her this because I wanted to keep the surprise a secret until she could see it for herself.

"I'm afraid I can only show you," I said and turned to face her.

She smiled and shook her head. "What are you up to this time?" I knew she wasn't really worried I was tricking her because I would never pull a joke like that on our wedding day. I was more intelligent than that, and I cherished my genitals too much to risk my temperamental bride to rip them off in anger.

"You'll love it," I assured her and gave her a kiss before grabbing her hand in mine. I said goodbye the others for the both of us, and then I led my bride into a run toward Portland.

It took barely an hour, and then the forests around our first, very own home caused me to slow down until we were at a complete stop. Rosie smiled at me but narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"You trust me, right?" I asked her.

"You know I do," she replied, and the look in her eyes as she gazed into mine couldn't be compared with anything. It made me feel everything at once.

"And you love me?"

She laughed. "I would hope so. I've heard lying to a priest is a deadly sin."

I planted a kiss on her smiling lips. "Close your eyes. I'll lead you the rest of the way." She did as I asked, and I pulled her along by our entwined hands.

The trees thinned out as we emerged into the backyard, and thanks to Esme, warm light spilled out from the windows onto the apparently untouched snow. The sight was inviting and homey, and when I allowed Rosie to open her eyes, I hoped she'd see it that way as well.

"What is this?" she asked in a soft voice close to a whisper.

"Welcome home," I said in reply, and she turned to me with awe-filled eyes.

"You mean ..."

"Yes. I hope you're not mad I went behind your back, but I wanted to surprise you."

My angel stood frozen as she looked at the house, and I was beginning to feel worried that she was mad after all. "Are you okay?" I eventually had to ask when the suspense became too much for me.

"It's just—" She started, but she seemed unable to get the words out. "I'm amazed at it all." She turned to look at me, and her eyes were filled with emotion I could finally identify. It was a mix of happiness and sadness. "After I woke to this life, I never dared to dream that any of my former wishes would come true, and yet, here you are, and you just keep fulfilling them."

I cupped her cheek. "I'm alive thanks to you. Not only does that make me forever in your debt, but I also happen to have fallen in love with you. I gladly, and willingly, take on the part of your obedient servant."

She threw her arms around my neck and kissed me passionately until neither of us knew what was up and down, but I still managed to get us inside. I had planned to give her a house tour, but I had nothing against postponing it for a few hours … or days.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Was it like you imagined?

Let me know what you thought of the chapter :)

Until next week,

Stay Awesome!


	13. Chapter 12 October 12th 1937

**A/N:**

I'm telling you again here that Destiny in the Mountains was nominated in this year's ****Twific Fandom Awards****! The previous "Not an update" chapter was deleted!

 **This story is in this category:** ** **Drop Everything Fic****

If you'd like to support the story with a vote, the link is on my profile!

I was also personally nominated in a few categories as well.

 ** **Favorite Da Vinci****

 ** **Favorite Ellen****

 ** **Favorite Veteran Author****

In this chapter, you will get the first meeting with a certain pack of mortal enemies ;-)

 **Title:** Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

 **Author:** MarieCarro

 **Beta:** Alice's White Rabbit

 **Pre-reader:** BitterHarpy

 **Genre:** Family/Supernatural

 **Rating:** NC-17

 **Summary:** Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 12**

 **TUESDAY,** **OCTOBER 12** **th** **1937**

"Don't you dare tell Esme we broke another table," Rosie threatened as we ran from our house in Portland toward the family's house in Hoquiam. "I know you think it's amusing, but I don't want her to give me 'the look' for the entirety of this hunting trip."

"'The look'?" I asked her with a snicker.

She rolled her eyes at me. "You know which one I mean. The one that says while she still loves us, she kind of hates us."

I ran up behind her, grabbed her by her waist, and made us both tumble down into the greenery that surrounded us. Since I knew from experience she'd throw a fit if I sullied her dress, I made sure to shield the fabric from the ground with my own body.

"Emmett," she sighed. "I'm not in the mood right now." She made a move to get up, but I stopped her by holding her to me.

"Just stop for a second, angel. You're getting worked up for no reason at all. It's still just you and me here, so relax," I said. I was an expert at seeing the signs my wife displayed in times of stress by now. She was, by no means, embarrassed by our passionate approach toward the physical aspect of our relationship, but it didn't make the guilt-tripping more fun to deal with. "I would bet my arm that Carlisle and Esme had their share of fun in the beginning."

"Most likely only on their honeymoon, though," Rosie argued.

"And I'd say that was because of Edward being in their lives, and you know how uncomfortable he gets as soon as you even mention sex in a casual setting. That man needs to get laid and get off everyone else's backs, and you know it," I argued back. "Had it only been the two of them, I can promise you they'd have been at least as bad as you and I are."

"I can't see it. They're both so controlled and restrained all the time while you and I act crazed. This … _need_ between us never seems to stop."

I shrugged underneath her. "So we're more fun. That's not a crime." I stood up and brought her with me. "We broke a table in _our_ house. Esme is under no obligation to replace it. We don't entertain guests, so we don't really need it either." A stray leaf had found its way into Rosie's golden locks, and I gently plucked it out. "Baby, you can't compare us with them. Be proud of what you and I have. I am."

She rolled her eyes at me, and I knew the disaster had been avoided. "I know you are."

"Can you blame me?" I winked at her. "I mean, have you looked at yourself and seen what I was able to catch in my net?"

"You're such a flatterer." We took each other's hands and started to run again.

"And you love it," I retorted with a grin.

She sighed, but it was a happy sigh. "Yeah, I do."

When we reached the house in Hoquiam, the others were already waiting for us. We had planned a weeklong hunting trip together, and our intended destination was to cross the Canadian border to try out the wildlife up there. We would also explore the Olympic Park, as we hadn't truly checked out that area yet despite having lived in Washington for over a year.

We ran in silence, but occasionally, when one of us caught a scent we liked, we would stop. It was sunset when a sudden rank odor pervaded the air.

"Do you smell that?" Edward asked us all when the stench could no longer be ignored.

All of us nodded simultaneously, but Carlisle appeared to be the one most confused. "Yes, it isn't a smell I've encountered before. Perhaps it's an animal that only lives in this area."

"It's making me sick," Rosie complained from my left. "I don't know if I'll be able to hunt here."

"I'm too thirsty to care," I said. I hadn't had a single drop yet, and I was becoming impatient, as I always did when I allowed too much time to go in between hunts. "We don't have to stop for long. Let's just hunt here this one time."

While the others were reluctant, they eventually agreed with me, and we collectively took down an entire heard of deer when they passed. With the odor still in the air, the deer smelled surprisingly good, even for a grass-eater.

I had barely sunk my teeth into my kill's neck when all of us froze at the sound of a twig breaking. Normally, I would have waved it off as another animal in the forest, but the others' reactions, and especially Edward's, prevented me from doing that this time.

He was staring intensely in one direction, and then he abruptly rose up, his kill abandoned on the ground. With the smallest movement possible, he gestured for the rest of us to stand up as well, and I could instantly detect that the odor had grown stronger as if its source was close.

Carlisle and Edward exchanged a look, and then Carlisle stepped forward. "Who's there?"

His question was met with silence, and the rest of us walked closer to him, uniting our family to easier protect each other because we could all feel the tension in the air. It crackled with it and made it clear we weren't alone.

After a few nerve-wracking minutes, three men, who reminded me of the Cherokee tribe members I'd met in my human life, stepped out from the trees. What surprised me the most was that despite the October winds, much too cold for a human to be outside without layers of clothing, these men were bare-chested and only wearing their tribe's traditional warrior outfits, and their dark eyes glimmered with hatred.

It was also strangely obvious that the foul smell was coming from them, as it got even stronger the closer they walked.

Everything about them confused me, and something, maybe it was instinct, caused my skin to crawl in their presence, and I lowered myself into an offensive position, and I noticed Rosie, and Edward, do the same.

Carlisle took a step forward, effectively blocking us, but I refused to relax. I got my proof of it being a good thing I didn't when one of the men started screaming in what I assumed was the tribe's language. I was as tense as a coil spring as I waited for a sign or word to attack.

Ever the intermediator, Carlisle gestured in surrender. "My name's Carlisle Cullen. My family and I have lived in Hoquiam for a little over a year, and we're just passing through."

It didn't appear as if talking worked. I had one of the man locked with my eyes, and I was sure it would take less than a second for me to take him down. All I needed was one single word.

"Do you think they know what we are?" Edward asked Carlisle.

"I don't know," our leader answered. "They clearly don't want us here though."

"Maybe we should just leave," Esme suggested from the back. "I have a bad feeling about this, Carlisle." I was clearly not the only one who knew something wasn't right, and I would be more than willing to stay behind while the others left to make sure they got away okay. None of the three men looked like a particularly challenging opponent. I was about to say so when the men tensed up and focused on Esme, who had started to back away.

Edward growled at them in warning.

" _Just say the word, Edward,"_ I thought. Maybe Edward's gift could give us an advantage. _"I'll back you up."_

"Edward, I want you to back away and stand with Esme," Carlisle ordered. "You're too hostile, and it's making everything worse." Edward reluctantly did as he was told, and I was glad Carlisle kept me up front. At least, he recognized he needed some protection as well. "Please, we don't want to fight," he said to the strangers. "I can see we don't understand each other, but we will leave now."

The three men looked at us for a long moment, almost examining us, before the one who appeared to be the leader stepped forward. He didn't exude the same air of peace Carlisle did, so I remained in my attack-ready position. "You're different," the man said in heavily accented English. "Yellow, not red. What are you doing on our land, blood-drinker?"

I tensed further when I realized they knew what we were. I didn't like it. If they knew that, what else could they know?

"We were hunting," Carlisle explained softly and gestured toward our abandoned food on the ground.

"Animals?" the leader asked with confusion in his tone.

Carlisle nodded, clearly relieved he was getting through. "Yes. That's how we live."

"No humans?"

"No."

They didn't know what to make of us; that much was obvious. "How can we know you're telling the truth?" the leader asked.

"You can't," Carlisle told them truthfully. "You'll just have to trust us."

"Trust vampires?" It was another of the three men who spoke. "Not likely." His tone pretty much said on its own "when hell freezes over".

I was done with the talking. I was getting impatient, especially since we weren't getting anywhere.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but how did you know we're vampires?" Carlisle asked, and I wanted to roll my eyes at him. Why did he have to be so curious about everything? Why did it matter that they knew? Their knowledge was dangerous to us, and a threat like that was all the incentive I needed.

"We can smell you," the second man replied as if it were obvious with a wrinkled nose. "You have a sickly sweet smell. It makes me nauseous."

" _That makes two of us,"_ I thought, and the corner of Edward's mouth twitched in amusement.

"I was under the impression humans liked our smell," he said to disguise his snicker.

The man huffed. "Your smell is repulsive to us," he retorted angrily. "And we're more than human."

With a simple gesture of his hand, the leader stopped him from saying anything else. It was actually quite impressive. He seemed to have his men on a tight leash. "Our kind was created to hunt vampires like you," he explained, and I was once again a hundred percent focused on them, in case it came down to a fight. I didn't like what they were implying.

"What do you mean?" Carlisle asked, and I felt eased to hear the guarded tone in his voice. He was getting worried. Good. He needed to be in order to see that talking wasn't enough.

Two of the men loosened the cords that held their clothes together, and suddenly, a huge amount of muscle and fur exploded from their bodies, and they grew tenfold until humongous wolves had taken their places on either side of the leader. I knew I had only seen a fraction of what was really out in the world, but nothing could have prepared me for the sight before me. It was natural that I acted on instinct when I pushed Rosie behind me and backed up several yards. I didn't want her anywhere near the monsters before us.

They looked like wolves, but I had seen many wolves in my life, and these were not wolves.

"Hold it," Carlisle ordered once again, and I realized Edward had lowered himself into attack position, much like I'd been the second before.

"I am Ephraim Black," the leader spoke up calmly. "And these are my men Levi Uley and Quil Ateara. We are men from the Quileute tribe. We are our people's protectors, and if you have no interest here, we want you to leave right now."

"Of course," Carlisle agreed. "We don't want to bother you, but I need to ask something of you." Ephraim nodded for him to continue. "Your people know of our existence, but other humans don't. We need to keep our existence a secret, and I was hoping you wouldn't tell anyone outside of your tribe."

"We don't keep secrets with vampires," Ephraim replied with narrowed eyes. "Leave this place and don't come back."

"We promise we won't come back here," Carlisle insisted. "As I said before, we live a hundred miles from here, in Hoquiam."

"Then go back there and don't ever put a foot on our land again!" Ephraim said aggressively. "If you do, we will have to kill you."

"That won't be necessary if you keep our secret," Carlisle said. "Neither my family nor your people can risk the exposure. Maybe we can come to an agreement. We won't cross over to your land as long as you don't tell anyone outside your tribe about us."

I was looking at the exchange between the two leaders with interest. It was aggressive, but somehow, Carlisle's way had worked, and in order to not make it any harder on him, I acknowledged there would be no fight. I unlocked my tense muscles, but I made sure I was still in front of Rosie.

"We'll keep your secret if you can promise us that you won't ever hunt humans again. One single bite from any of you, and there is no agreement," Ephraim countered, and I wanted to protest badly. Who was he to rule over how we lived our lives?

Rosie must have felt my discontent because she grabbed my hand and made me look at her. She was shaking her head at me, silently telling me to let it go. And I did; for her.

Carlisle held out his hand. "We promise that we won't bite a human, and we will stay off your land. In return, all we ask is that you keep our secret for us."

Ephraim walked up to Carlisle and took his hand in his. "Keep your promise, and we will not tell the pale-faces about you."

All of us made the same promise, albeit me a bit reluctantly, and then we made a long detour toward the Canadian border. Our hunt in the Olympic Mountains had been cut short, but most of us were still thirsty. We just needed to be certain our backs were free of pursuers first.

Naturally, I volunteered to run in the back.

* * *

 ** **A/N:****

Was that what you had in mind? Was there anything you felt I missed and would have wanted included?

Let me know your thoughts! Both Emmett and I appreciate them :-D

Until next week,

Stay Awesome!


	14. Chapter 13 Sep 20th - Oct 16th 1939

**A/N:**

I am so sorry I didn't upload this chapter this past Wednesday! My sister was visiting from Norway, I am on a break from Facebook, and we were sleeping over at my grandparents' place, so pretty much nothing was as it usually is, and I completely forgot about it!

I didn't remember until just now, so shame on me!

I hope you can forgive me!

In other news, this story didn't go through to Round 2 in the **TFFA** , but **The Undecided** did in the **Favorite Undiscovered Gem** category, and so did I in the **Favorite Da Vinci** and **Favorite Ellen** , so thank you for that! I love you so much for voting for me :)

 **Title:** Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

 **Author:** MarieCarro

 **Beta:** Alice's White Rabbit

 **Pre-reader:** BitterHarpy

 **Genre:** Family/Supernatural

 **Rating:** NC-17

 **Summary:** Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 13**

 **WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20** **th** **– MONDAY, OCTOBER 16** **th** **1939**

Despite the wolves in the Olympic Mountains, we'd led a very peaceful life in Hoquiam and Portland for the last two years. It was so typical I'd had to go and ruin that for us.

I was barely aware of Rosie's hand clasped around my wrist as she almost dragged me to the family house to talk with Carlisle. He wouldn't need the entire story. All he'd have to do was take one short look at me, notice the change of color in my eyes, and he'd know.

They'd all know.

I wasn't really ashamed, and I didn't really feel guilty either because I knew, logically, slips were bound to happen. What I felt was anger because I knew my family enjoyed their life here, but now, we'd have to move. It was, after all, one thing to kill a random stranger with no connection to us, but this was one of our more distant neighbors' daughter.

She was a young girl, not much older than Bea was when I last saw her. It was all so coincidental. She'd fallen off her bicycle and scraped her knee just as I was making my way home. It had been enough. I was caught unaware, and there was no one around to stop me because Rosalie was in our house, too far away to hear anything.

The blood had smelled so sweet and tantalizing. I'd never smelled anything like it before. The only thing I could have done not to risk exposure was to drag the girl into a cluster of trees nearby, and I drank her dry before I was truly aware of what I was doing.

After, I'd at least had the mind to hide the body, but I still hadn't been able to figure out how to explain the girl's disappearance. Her bicycle was currently hidden behind our house, but it could be found too easily. It would either have to be demolished or abandoned somewhere far away.

When we arrived, we found the family in the sitting room, listening intently to the radio.

 _... some of these stations for relinquishing their time in order that we may bring you this special broadcast._

 _Chancellor Adolf Hitler will rise in the former Free City of Danzig in just a few moments. Thousands of the populous are lining the streets and will cheer as the German Führer will proceed to the famous_ _Artushof_ _, medieval guildhall of the Hanseatic League. There, at any minute, Hitler will deliver an important address to be broadcast throughout Germany. An address that will be re-broadcast over the combined networks of the National Broadcasting Company and heard shortly over the station to which you are listening._

 _Foerster has just officially acknowledged the arrival of Hitler by saying that the powers of the house of this old town of Danzig and the 400,000 inhabitants greet him ..._

No one had yet to turn and look at me, and when the broadcast was over, Carlisle kept his eyes on the floor as he turned off the radio.

"You'd think the Germans would have learned from the last war," Edward said with a clenched jaw. "It's only been twenty years since it ended."

"People back anyone who possesses the smallest piece of charisma when they're desperate," Carlisle said, eyes still directed toward the floor. "I just can't figure out why Hitler declared war against Poland when they were his biggest ally."

"Can we talk about this later?" Rosalie said as she attempted to direct the conversation toward the pressing matter of our own situation.

Esme looked over at us, and when she saw me, she immediately stood up and touched my cheek with an understanding glint in her eyes. However, Edward and Carlisle were too deep into their conversation.

"I'm sure it's a textbook case of narcissism and self-glorification," Edward said. "Anyone who titles themselves without having deserved it is bound to turn on those he believes himself to be better than."

Carlisle nodded. "That's true. And I doubt this declaration of neutrality will hold for long. This is only the beginning."

"Carlisle," Esme said softly, and he immediately reacted even though she spoke in tones much lower than Rosalie had. "I believe we have more important things to discuss right now."

Finally, he turned his eyes onto me, and when he saw my eyes, he straightened up. "What happened?" he asked sympathetically.

"I was caught unaware," I said but didn't go into further detail. "Couldn't have stopped myself even if I'd tried. Problem is that the girl was the daughter of a neighbor." I told them what I'd done to hide the evidence, and when I finished, Carlisle nodded.

"It presents a difficult problem," he said. "The girl's parents will incite an investigation into her disappearance sooner rather than later. We'll also have to move, although I would have suggested that anyway without this mishap."

"Really? Why?" Edward asked.

"As I said before, I doubt America's neutrality will hold up for a long time. I scarcely avoided being drafted as a field doctor in the last war. I'd prefer us to be someplace else where Selective Services don't have jurisdiction."

"You mean leaving America?"

Carlisle shook his head. "Not necessarily, depending on how you look at it." He looked at all of us. "America owns the Territory of Alaska, but since it's not a state, its residents can't be forced to serve."

"Yeah, but Alaska? Really?" Rosalie asked, obviously displeased. "Will you even find employment up there? And what about the rest of us? Are we just supposed to sit around and do nothing?"

He smiled patiently toward my wife. It was true she was somewhat hard to please, but I couldn't blame her. She was used to a certain way of life, and living in complete wilderness was such a foreign concept to her. "Contrary to your beliefs, they do have civilization there. Mostly smaller villages, but I believe for the sake of employment for me and pastimes for you, Fairbanks is the better choice."

"Sounds like you've already given this a lot of thought," Edward commented with somewhat narrowed eyes. It was obvious he didn't like that Carlisle had kept him out of the planning.

"I have," Carlisle admitted. "I didn't want to unnecessarily worry you before it became clear it would come to this. We've had a good life here, and I didn't want to uproot us for the sake of my fears, but I saw the signs early. When that man came into power in Germany, I was already halfway convinced of the outcome. It's not the first time I witness it."

Edward's arms were crossed. "Still, you should have consulted with the rest of us."

"I told you my reasons, Edward," Carlisle replied, but he wasn't even annoyed with Edward's ire. Personally, I thought Edward acted somewhat immature, and while that earned me a glare from him, it didn't change my mind. It wasn't as if Carlisle could have predicted with certainty that a war would chase us up north.

Esme stepped in. "What Edward tried to say is that you shouldn't keep your worries to yourself." She took a hold of Carlisle's hand. "We're a family, and we'd like to be included."

"Of course." Carlisle sighed. "I apologize. It wasn't my intention to go over your heads. I had planned to bring it up in due time. This, however"—he nodded in my direction—"simply fastens up the process."

"Okay, so what have you come up with?" I asked, hoping to smooth over the tension. Not that a real fight would ever happen between Edward and Carlisle. Edward held too much respect for Carlisle to speak against him for long, and Carlisle was simply not a man who fueled fires of discussion.

Carlisle looked at us all apologetically, no doubt feeling guilty, but then he pushed that away and told us what he'd had in mind. "There is no way of telling how long this war will go on or even when America won't stand idly by anymore. Therefore, it's important we start with the earliest age we can get away with to prolong our stay as long as possible." He looked at Rosalie, Edward, and me. "Edward and Rose, it's no problem for you to claim yourselves as teenagers. There are no public high schools in Fairbanks for any of you to attend, but we can say you're being home-schooled. Emmett, you can choose what you want. You can remain with them, or you can choose to go to the university or perhaps even find employment as well."

My size would present problems when it came to age. I hadn't looked like a teenager even when I was one, but it had been different when I was human because I grew up in that town. Trying to convince complete strangers that I was younger than I looked would be challenging, but I knew I wasn't ready to venture out on my own.

I shook my head at Carlisle. "I have never finished high school. I doubt I am qualified for higher education as of right now, and I'm not ready to be on my own just yet, as has been proven today," I said in a light voice. I hoped if I made the situation more humorous, it wouldn't appear as such a failure. It worked to an extent because the others smiled, although there was that lingering sadness in Carlisle's eyes over the loss of my victim's life. "I'll just stick to Ed and Rosie."

"Fine then. Other than that, I believe we can continue with the same cover story, although we shouldn't use my name as the family name this time. It's much too associated with my work here, and I want us to disappear in Alaska." He looked at each of us individually. "Completely."

All of us wondered about his motivation for this disappearance act we were going to pull, but all he did was give us a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry. I'm just being overly cautious. I don't want there to be any way for them to draft us at all. I have a feeling with each war, while it becomes more sophisticated, it also equals more death and blood than the previous one. I simply want to keep us out of scrutiny's eye, that's all." He walked up to Esme and kissed her temple lovingly. "And who knows? This break from the ordinary may prove to be exactly what all of us need."

 **{=DITM=}**

"I wouldn't make that move if I were you," Edward said from the armchair where he sat reading. He didn't even look up from his book when he spoke.

"Why not?" I asked and narrowed my eyes at the board between me and Carlisle.

"Because if you do, he'll have your king in three moves," he replied with amusement at what I assumed was Carlisle's thoughts. At least, judging from his expression.

"I'm trying to properly teach him the game, Edward," Carlisle admonished without any real feeling behind it. "I'd appreciate if you stayed out of our heads while I do that."

Edward laughed. "You're not teaching him anything," he said, and it confused me. "You enjoy winning, for once, too much."

"Hey!" I exclaimed and looked at Carlisle, who at least had the decency to look ashamed.

"Sorry, Emmett. I rarely get to actually play a real chess match, and I couldn't resist. Edward always cheats when we play."

"I do not!" Edward insisted and looked over his shoulder, but he was smiling, so he obviously didn't deny it completely. "It's not my fault you can't keep your moves to yourself."

Carlisle didn't reply to that because we all knew, including Edward, that his statement was ridiculous. Nothing could, or at least should, be more private that one's own thoughts. Edward simply thought himself to be funny. It wasn't often I heard him joke, but it was nice to see that he had it in him sometimes.

"I'm good at games," I said to regain Carlisle's attention. "I've gambled with cards and numbers since I was thirteen. If you teach me right, I promise you I will give you a real match."

"If you do that, Carlisle, you'll have won your last set," Edward piped up again with a chuckle. "Emmett wasn't always the most honest player himself, it appears."

"Shut up, will you," I retorted as I was starting to feel somewhat annoyed with the guy for continuously reading our thoughts and acting as the third party of our conversation, and effectively ruining both our secrets. It didn't matter anymore that he was doing it jokingly.

Before anything could escalate further, Esme walked into the room with her hands on her hips. "You're all cheaters. Don't even try to deny it."

Carlisle opened his mouth, but Esme just gave him a look, and he immediately closed it again. It was very amusing to see, but I didn't comment because I knew all too well that I was the same with Rosalie. It was, simply put, impossible to speak against either of our women.

Once we were all properly reprimanded, Esme shook her head with a smile. "You three are the worst, you know that, right?"

"True, but you wouldn't have us any other way, would you, Mom?" Edward asked sweetly, but while calling Esme "Mom" usually put him in her favor, this time she rolled her eyes at him.

" _Boot licker!"_ I thought in Edward's direction, but it caused him to throw his book at me. Of course, I still had the reflex to catch it before it hit me, but his message came across well enough.

"And no fighting through thoughts," Esme rebuked, this time more seriously. "You're both adults, so act like it. I'd rather keep this house without any holes in the walls." She sighed and walked away but not without one last word. "You'd think you've been raised in caves."

Rosie came through the front door, and when I saw her, I had to really restrain myself from ravishing her on the spot. It helped that Edward groaned in reaction to the direction my thoughts had headed, and it made me smile at him gleefully. Served him right for staying in my head.

Besides, it wasn't my fault my angel was so irresistible, especially in her current getup. She was wearing overalls, and she was wiping her hands on a cloth hanging from her belt. It was the most masculine outfit I'd ever seen her wear, and yet, I thought she was as sexy as ever.

Carlisle's car hadn't fared well after the drive to Alaska, and when he'd said he would just sell it since it wasn't worth taking to a repairman, she'd suggested she take a look at it. While I had been aware of her interest in the technical workings of motors, I hadn't realized until that moment that she was willing and wanted to get dirty and actually put her hands in the grime. It added to her appeal because, while I loved her feminine side, the fact that she had nothing against manual labor caused all sorts of new fantasies to pop up into my head.

All of which caused Edward to cringe. A bonus according to me.

Carlisle looked up from the board he was re-arranging to actually teach me. "How is it coming along?"

Rosie smiled. "It's been finished for days. Now I'm just playing around with it."

"I didn't know you had such a _passionate_ interest for motors," Edward said somewhat sarcastically as she passed him, but she replied by shoving his head forward. She had somehow been able to keep that action out of her head because he didn't anticipate it and glared at her in response.

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me, _dear_ brother," she said and sat down in my waiting lap. "What are you doing in here?" she asked me, and I was so happy to see that she was in a good mood.

"Trying to play chess, but Carlisle's cheating," I replied, and Carlisle only gave me an amused look.

"Teaching," he _corrected._ "I'm teaching you to play chess. There's a difference."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Sure it is."

He chuckled at that. "Anyway, I'm thinking maybe we should wait before we start a new match. All of your eyes are pretty dark. Maybe we would all benefit from a hunt." Esme came back into the room, obviously having heard his talk of hunting. "And it would give us the opportunity to explore the national park."

"Sounds good. I'll just get changed," Rosie said and made a move to stand from my lap, but I held her there for a second longer.

"You don't really have to change, do you?" I whispered in her ear.

"You like it that much?"

"I certainly do," I said with conviction. "In fact, I'd like to rip it off you with my t—"

"Please, for all that is holy, do not finish that sentence," Edward pleaded, and all of us laughed at him. It was too much fun messing with him.

* * *

 ** **A/N:****

 **Y** ou got a little bit of both there, some seriousness but also a bit of fun between the men in the family :) I just had to bring something in to show what Esme talks about in Twilight when she says she likes to keep them honest ;-) Even Carlisle has his moments of dishonesty xD

Anyway, they are in Alaska now, so I am certain you know what's about to happen in upcoming chapters :-D

Now, I have to tell you, it's not certain I will be able to upload the next chapter on Wednesday because I have an audition then, but if that's the case, you will most definitely get it on Thursday instead :-D

Until then,

Stay Awesome!


	15. Chapter 14 October 16th 1939

**A/N:**

A meeting is about to happen :-D

What I expected to happen happened! I was absolutely spent last night after I'd traveled and that's why you didn't get this last night, but it's here now :)

 **Title:** Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

 **Author:** MarieCarro

 **Beta:** Alice's White Rabbit

 **Pre-reader:** BitterHarpy

 **Genre:** Family/Supernatural

 **Rating:** NC-17

 **Summary:** Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 14**

 **MONDAY, OCTOBER 16** **th** **1939**

We had barely started the hunt when all of us froze simultaneously because of the new scent in the air. Unlike when we encountered the wolves in Washington, this scent was unmistakable.

Vampire. Several of them.

The problem was that Carlisle didn't recognize any of them, and that caused all of us to feel somewhat nervous. If the territory had been claimed, and the vampires felt we'd trespassed, it could easily turn into a fight.

While I personally wouldn't be against it, I didn't like our odds. Edward, Rosie, and I were the only ones truly willing to fight, and on top of that, neither of us really knew what we were doing. With Carlisle being our mentor, any violence except the occasional mock-fight wasn't accepted.

These strangers could very well be expert fighters, and with our track record, they could even be soldiers from the Southern Wars who had fled up north. Carlisle had said that, occasionally, one or two would wander, but their start to this life often made them unfit to move comfortably around humans—a requirement in order to live higher up. They'd expose themselves, and the Volturi would end them quickly.

Edward, who had gone off to hunt by himself, approached us, but Carlisle stopped him with his thoughts. In response to whatever he'd said, Edward narrowed his eyes and most likely tried to focus his gift to see if he could hear if the strangers were close by.

"Carlisle," Esme said softly. "What are we going to do?"

He was quiet for a moment, but then it was obvious he'd made up his mind. "We should investigate further. It's a large coven, so I doubt they're regular nomads."

Esme shook her head in disagreement and stopped Carlisle from walking away. "I don't like that idea. What if they aren't friendly?"

He immediately turned around and cupped her cheek lovingly. "We'll make our approach as amicable as possible, okay?" he said to calm her down. "If they feel cornered, Edward will be able to tell by their thoughts, and we'll leave immediately. I promise."

We all remained rather reluctant, but we followed him anyway as he started to follow the trail of scents. As we walked, I looked at Rosie from the corner of my eye. I had no doubt she could hold her own in a fight, but it didn't keep me from feeling worried and protective.

If a fight ensued and it came down to fighting or getting Rosie to safety, there really wasn't a choice to make. I'd prioritize her every day for the rest of my life. At the same time, I felt torn because the others were my family, and I wasn't certain I'd be able to abandon them if they needed me.

I knew what my worry boiled down to because I had never truly seen Rosie fight. She was an efficient killer of her prey, but hunting animals and fighting another vampire were two vastly different things.

The trees in front of us thinned out until we emerged into a field with a large hill at one end. On top of the hill was a house that looked like an overgrown hunter's cabin. It was obviously not abandoned despite the fact that there wasn't even a hint of human in the air.

"It's a coven with a permanent residence," Edward breathed out in confusion. "How have you not heard about them?" he asked our leader, but Carlisle was as surprised as the rest of us.

"I don't know."

Still feeling very cautious, we slowly approached the house, and it only took a moment before five vampires exited and walked at an equally slow pace toward us. I was shocked to see that the opposing coven had something in common with us, except for their numbers.

They had golden eyes.

While I was suspicious, that feature made me feel a thousand times more relaxed. Of course, that didn't mean they weren't still a threat to us, but at least we had some common ground.

The one male in the group appeared to peruse over us until he stopped at Edward, and when he smiled, I got the feeling that he somehow knew of my brother's gift. It was eerie because it looked like they were already having a conversation despite not knowing each other.

One of the females stepped forward with an open expression, although it wasn't hard to see that she was just as suspicious of us as we were of them. "Hello. What can we help you strangers with?" she asked politely.

"My name is Carlisle Cullen, and this is my family," Carlisle spoke for us. "My wife, Esme, and Rosalie, Emmett, and Edward. We recently moved to Fairbanks and came across your scents while hunting. We naturally got curious."

"Naturally," the woman echoed in agreement. "I'm Tanya, and these are my sisters: Katrina and Irina. The couple over there are Carmen and Eleazar."

Hearing the very civil conversation Carlisle and Tanya had made me relax even further, but I kept my hold on Rosie's hand nonetheless.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I wasn't aware there was another coven sharing our lifestyle," Carlisle continued.

"Neither were we," Tanya replied. "We thought we were the only one, but on the other hand, we don't travel much, so we don't really know a lot about the world outside of Alaska."

"Have you lived here long?"

"A few hundred years, give or take."

Rosie's grip stiffened, and as always when she wanted to know something, there was no way she'd stay quiet. "And you've stayed here that entire time?" she asked, and I immediately knew where her thoughts were.

The house in Portland had become our home, and she had hated to leave it, no matter the inevitability. I hadn't liked it either, and I did feel guilty for having driven us away from there sooner than necessary. We could only hope we'd be able to return there soon.

Tanya turned her eyes to Rosie. "Yes," she said with a slight smile. "There are rarely any humans this deep in the park, and we don't really see the necessity of venturing into the city." There was an exchange between Tanya and Eleazar when he cleared his throat, and she looked at him for a long moment. Neither spoke, but it was obvious they somehow conversed. Maybe one of them was telepathic like Edward. "Would you like to come inside?" Tanya offered and looked back at us.

"That would be lovely. Thank you." Carlisle accepted on our behalf, and we followed them to their house. What I'd first thought had been a cabin was much more of a lodge. It was bigger than what it looked like from across the field as most of it was obscured by trees.

Once everyone had gathered in the heart of the house, the sitting room, it didn't take long for Tanya to start up the conversation again.

"Eleazar tells me you have a talented member in your family," she said, and while I had suspected it, it was still strange to hear her say it since Eleazar hadn't spoken a word.

"Yes," Edward said. "I can read thoughts, but it seems he somehow already knew that."

Eleazar nodded as he took a seat. "I did know that. I knew even before the first word was uttered." His statement was quite odd, but he didn't take his eyes off Edward. "You're not the only one with a talent, Edward," he continued pointedly.

"What can you do?"

"Isn't it rather obvious?" he asked, but then continued without stopping. "I can feel when there are other gifted vampires close by. I know which gift it is from the start, but I need to be really close to know who possesses it."

"That's a very unusual gift. I've never heard of anything of that sort before," Carlisle interjected.

Eleazar turned to Carlisle. "As far as I'm aware, I'm the only one with this particular gift, and I have encountered many gifted vampires in my lifetime."

"How?" I asked, unable to keep my curiosity in any longer. "I thought you didn't travel."

"We don't, but I wasn't always a member of this coven," Eleazar answered. "I was created in Spain in the year 1741. My creator and I wanted different things, and only a few years after my birth, I left for Italy and was almost immediately taken in by the Volturi."

Carlisle gave him a questioning look. "You were a member of the guard? I'm surprised I haven't heard of you before. I stayed with the brothers myself for a couple of decades, although that was before your time. But I still keep in contact with Aro, and he never once mentioned you."

"Aro was quite anxious about keeping me a secret," Eleazar explained. "Since my gift is so unusual, he was afraid someone else would covet me if they found out. I stayed with them for about a century, but then I found Carmen. We wanted a different life than they could offer us, and while it displeased the brothers to let me go, they knew they couldn't force me to stay either."

"And then you came stumbling into our lives, and you're yet to leave," Tanya filled in with an amused expression.

"How exactly did you decide to start this … unconventional lifestyle we all share?" Esme asked. Carlisle's curiosity had rubbed off on her, and she often thirsted for knowledge as much as he did.

Tanya cleared her throat and a smirk stretched across Katrina's face. Both of them shared a look with Irina, but as Tanya was clearly the leader, she took it upon herself to explain.

"Before my sisters and I converted to this lifestyle, we ventured into the city more often than we do now. We were taught how killing was a lot easier when our prey found pleasure in their last moments instead of fear."

What she said was like a foreign language to me because I didn't understand what she meant at all. I wasn't the only one because the rest of my family, with the exception of Carlisle, looked confused.

But being the well of knowledge Carlisle was, he made a small, incredulous sound at the back of his throat before he voiced what he knew. "So you three are the origin of the succubus legends?"

"The original," Katrina said with a soft laugh.

"What's a succubus?" I asked as I'd never heard the word before, and Katrina turned to me with a grin.

"The legends depict a succubus as a female demon seductress who preys on men with whom she mates with before killing them," she explained, and I knew my expression was shocked because she laughed at me before giving me a wink.

Rosie read something else into Katrina's teasing because she hooked her arm tightly around mine and snarled in warning. I didn't mind her possessiveness one bit because I wanted everyone to know I was hers, but I didn't really understand why she saw Katrina as a threat. No one could measure up to my angel.

Katrina saw her display as amusing. "Don't worry, sweetie. I prefer human men."

Rosie didn't feel reassured by that and remained hostile. "You didn't answer Esme's question," she said with a glare.

"Engaging in sexual activity with humans takes more than strength to resist their blood," Tanya said, once again taking over the conversation. "You need to connect with them on an emotional level, motivate yourself to not kill them immediately. But doing so doesn't have a consequence-free ending. Once you feel that connection with someone, you can't help but mourn their death. It took its toll on us after a few centuries, and we decided to find an alternative way. Now our men get to live even after being with us."

"How about you?" Irina asked quietly. She was much more soft-spoken than her sisters.

Carlisle went into explaining his own story, and how he had found all of us. Eleazar, especially, took an interest in me as the youngest and Rosie because she had been able to resist killing me when she brought me to Carlisle.

"Your strength is nothing short of amazing," he praised her. "It's not even an enhanced ability of yours. How exactly were you able to do it?"

"I can't really explain it," she said, and I was happy to see that she didn't close up the way she usually did. She actually enjoyed speaking with him. "I had my reasons for saving him from the bear, but on the way home, there was just this voice in the back of my head that kept wishing he'd live. It was my life's most difficult journey, but ..." She turned to look at me, and the love shining in her eyes almost knocked me off my seat. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat because I know that's what he'd want."

There was no chance I could hold back from kissing her at that moment, and I was infinitely grateful she no longer had issues with showing affection in front of others. We had truly worked our way through those hurdles and gotten out on the other side as a very strong couple.

"You enjoy being a vampire, then?" Eleazar asked me.

I shrugged, as that was a complicated question. "I don't have anything against it because it brought me this incredible woman. Can't say I dislike the physical aspects either, although I would like to know more about how to fight properly. We're not exactly a family of soldiers," I finished with a chuckle.

"I could show you some moves, if you'd like," Eleazar offered, and I immediately felt my excitement grow. "As a former Volturi guard, I had to know my fair share of tricks, but keep in mind, I wasn't ever a frontline guard, and I don't have your enhanced strength."

"How do you know about my enhanced strength?" I asked, confused because I hadn't exactly displayed that skill of mine.

Eleazar smiled. "My own gift works in layers. It has developed over the years, and I can sense more than just formidable talents now. Since it is well known that every vampire brings some sort of ability to be enhanced into this life, I can sense that as well if I stay in the same room as them long enough. Your strength is very obvious in the air around you. Few possess that ability," he explained, and it made me smile. I liked that even though I didn't have a gift like Edward's, I had something that was somewhat unique even with vampires.

I would definitely take Eleazar up on his offer to teach me some moves, and I was looking forward to it, but for now, I was happy with staying inside with my wife and learning more about the people I was certain would become good friends to us.

* * *

 **A/N:**

I've had people comment before on my other Origin story (Edward's story, A Lost Soul) that they thought Carlisle already knew Tanya's coven even before he created Edward.

According to the Illustrated Guide, they must have been at least 3 in the Cullen clan before this meeting because of this part right here:

" _Tanya naturally took her place as the leader of the whole family. She was delighted to meet Carlisle_ _when the Cullens finally encountered them,_ _seeing him as her peer in many ways._

Since I couldn't fit a move to Alaska in between Esme's creation and Rosalie's creation because of Edward's rebellious period etc, it just felt natural to put their first encounter here as, after Emmett, it takes 15 years until Alice and Jasper joins them :-D


	16. Chapter 15 March 21st – March 25th 1941

**A/N:**

This chapter is a little shorter than my other chapters, but hopefully, the content will be please you enough so you don't need it to be longer :-D

 **Title:** Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

 **Author:** MarieCarro

 **Beta:** Alice's White Rabbit

 **Pre-reader:** BitterHarpy

 **Genre:** Family/Supernatural

 **Rating:** NC-17

 **Summary:** Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 15**

 **FRIDAY, MARCH 21** **st** **– TUESDAY, MARCH 25** **th** **1941**

"What are you doing?" Esme asked softly from behind me. When I turned, I saw she was looking at the piece of wood in my hands.

"It's just something I used to do all the time when I was a kid," I explained. "Dad gave me my first whittling knife when I was six, but I wore it down so quickly I had to constantly sharpen it." The fond memory made me smile as I scraped on a bump with my nail, effectively filing it down until it was completely smooth. "Don't really need to sharpen these, though." I wiggled my fingers toward her, and she laughed.

"What's it going to be?"

I turned the block in my hand. It didn't have a particular shape yet, but I was certain it would become an animal. "I don't know yet. I guess we'll see."

"Hey, Em," Edward called for me, and the fact that he used a nickname made me feel so pleased with myself. I liked to imagine he probably wouldn't ever have started using nicknames if I hadn't entered his life. "Maybe you should check on Rose," he continued, and all my amusing thoughts disappeared as if with the snap of a finger.

"Why?"

"There are some pretty dark thoughts coming from your room right now," he said, and I immediately abandoned the whittling and hurried upstairs.

I didn't even bother knocking when I reached the door because if my wife was lost in her depression, as she had a tendency to be at times, she needed me and wouldn't be in the right mindset to answer even if I knocked.

She was staring at the cover of a _Life_ magazine with a faraway look in her eyes, and I gently approached and placed my hands on her shoulders. She was fully aware of my presence, yet she continued to stare at the cover. Not until I sneaked a peak myself did I understand why.

It was an issue from January, and it was a photo of a dark-haired woman holding a baby. The caption said _'Winston Churchill II and mother',_ and it wasn't particularly difficult for me to guess what had caused my angel to fall down the dark hole she was currently in.

Rosie's greatest wish had always been to become a mother and later, after that, a grandmother. She was one of those women who were simply born for that purpose, and I couldn't even imagine how painful it must be for her, knowing it could never happen.

"Baby," I said softly, but she didn't move. "What can I do?" I asked. There was no need to elaborate. She knew I knew what was weighing her down.

"Nothing," she replied in a whisper. "There's nothing that can be done. But it doesn't mean I just want to accept it and move on either."

"Of course not." I crouched down and leaned my chin on her shoulder. "I'm never going to ask you to deny that yearning. And I wish with everything in me that I could give you all the children you'd ever want."

She swallowed hard, and then grabbed my hand in her own. "If we'd been human, it wouldn't have been a problem. We've been married for four years now, and it would have been expected of us to have children, and—"

"I know," I interrupted. I had to because, if I didn't, she'd go into a long harangue with no end, and she'd just make herself feel worse. "And I also know there's nothing I can say to make you feel better, except that you're no less of a woman, and my love for you will never change. I will _always_ be here to support you. No matter what."

After a long moment, she turned out of my arms to look at me and placed a hand on my cheek. "You would have made such a great father."

I gave her a smile to show her I was okay with her statement. "And I know you would have been the best mother." With open arms, I invited her to snuggle up on my lap, and I just held her for hours. She didn't sob. Rosie wasn't a crier, but her pain radiated from her, and I could only hope that I was soothing some of it at least.

There was no point in denying that it killed me to see her that way, and that with all my strength, there was nothing I could do to protect her against these particular enemies of hers. The only thing I could do was hold her, show her that I meant every word, and wait until her pain ebbed out … for now.

 **{=DITM=}**

"Your strength is obvious to the eye, which can be to your disadvantage," Eleazar said as we stood opposite each other in the meadow just below his family's house. "Vampires with gifts can analyze you quickly and come up with a strategy before you have the chance to form a thought."

"Are there any positive parts to this?" I asked with a smirk but still somewhat annoyed by his negativity.

Eleazar grinned. "Of course, there are. Unless you have my gift, it's impossible to know whether your opponent's gift works from a distance or only through touch. Even more than that, you can't know if it's mental or physical. There are speculations that it's possible to elude projected mental gifts, as they are illusions, however, I've yet to hear of a vampire with that strength of mind. With that said, it's essential every vampire knows the basics of hand-to-hand combat."

He pointed to his own jugular. "There are a few points on the body best focused on in combat. The neck for example—a deep enough bite there and you can easily tear off the head. The same goes for arms and legs. All the natural joints causes places such as the inside of the elbow or the wrist to be at bigger risk and, therefore, easier to rip."

Finally, he crouched into an attack position. "Now, with what I've told you, try to overpower me."

My smirk grew. "With pleasure."

I had to admit I was cocky. Eleazar didn't look like much. He wasn't exactly skinny, but he had nothing on my own body mass. Still, I should have known I wouldn't win. He was trained, and I wasn't. I was thoroughly embarrassed when he had me sprawling on my back, his hand pressed tightly over my throat, in less than a minute.

"Your strength and size can easily be used against you," he explained. "Never forget that." He let go of my neck and took a few steps back as I stood back up.

"Again," I insisted. I didn't like losing. It didn't matter Eleazar was so much more experienced because he looked like an easy target, and I wouldn't feel satisfied until I'd overpowered him at least once.

It turned out to be quite impossible though. No matter what I tried, Eleazar always had a strategy at hand, and when he had me on my back for the fifth time, I called it quits.

"Don't despair, my friend," Eleazar told me as I brushed the dirt off my clothes. "Remember what I've told you, learn it, and few will be able to overpower you."

"Are you done, then?" Both of us turned to see Esme approaching us. "I could use some of your help, Emmett," she said and waved to Eleazar when he excused himself.

"Sure. With what?"

"I was so impressed with your whittling skills the other day, and there are a few details I need help with on that table I'm restoring," she explained as we made our way back to our house.

I never had anything against helping my family with anything they asked, but this time, I had to question it because I thought it odd. "Esme, I'm confused. I'm certain you could do it by yourself."

Esme stopped just outside the door and sighed. "Okay, the truth is I wanted to talk to you in private, and with Rosalie away with Tanya and Irina, I think this is my best opportunity."

I nodded. "All right, but why didn't you just say so?"

"I wasn't sure you'd want to talk about it if I asked outright," she admitted and walked inside. Together, we sat down on the couch, and I waited for her to tell me what was on her mind. "I've noticed for the past few days that Rosalie has acted more dejected than usual, and I'm worried. Do I have to be or am I just being stupid?"

Now it was my turn to sigh. "You're not being stupid," I said and leaned forward with my elbows supported on my knees. "You know how much Rose has always longed for children."

"Yes, it's been quite clear to me, but that's also something she and I share."

"Right. Well, she's been doing really well for the last couple of years, and I started to hope that maybe she'd finally found some contentment in her life with me. But then she was reminded how much she really wants a baby still." I let out a soft groan as I, for the first time, allowed myself to feel my own frustration toward the fact she and I could never have our very own family. "Maybe even more so after we got married."

Esme didn't say anything. She didn't offer any advice or try to soothe my mind because she knew there truly wasn't anything that could be done about the problem. Unlike Rose, Esme had the chance to be a mother to us, and the same solution could never work for my pained wife.

We couldn't adopt a baby because the child would be in constant danger around us, and Rosalie would never want to expose an innocent human infant to our world either. And even further, the child would grow while we didn't, and it would eventually ask why its parents looked more like older siblings than a mom and dad.

It would never be fair toward that child, and while my Rosie could be selfish, when it came to children, they were always put first.

"It kills me, Esme," I admitted to her. So very often I held on to my positive side. It wasn't really a struggle because I preferred being happy over wallowing, but it didn't mean I wasn't hurting. "It kills me that I can't give my wife what she wants the most. Knowing that humans have endless possibilities, things they take for granted, yet they're off limits to us."

"It's okay to be upset, Emmett," Esme said and comfortingly stroked my arm. "Family is important to the both of you, and I wish I could give you a solution."

"But you can't," I replied, and as I felt my despair drain away again, I smiled gratefully at her. It had felt good, cathartic, to vent, and I was thankful she'd given me the opportunity and offered to listen to me. "I know it's no use to agonize over things I can't change. I'm not interested in living an immortal life filled with guilt over something that's not my fault." I straightened up and took a deep breath to chase away the heavy feeling altogether. "I know Rose won't ever see it my way, but I will still do what I can to bring her the happiness I know she is capable of feeling."

I slung my arm around Esme's shoulders and hugged her tightly to my side as well as giving her a big kiss on top of her head. "Thank you, Esme. I needed to talk about it more than I thought."

She gave me a bright smile. "Anytime, Emmett. You might be the biggest of all of us, but I see you as my son as much as I do with Edward, and as much as I see Rosalie as my daughter. I don't ever want to see any of you hurting, and if I can do something about it, then you can bet on it that I will do it."

I kissed her hair again. "You are the best Mom I could have asked for."

* * *

 ** **A/N:****

A little shorter chapter this week because it just felt natural to end it there :) We got another heartbreaking moment with Rosalie (the cover of the magazine she's looking at can be found on my website in the DitM story album) an educating moment with Eleazar and a sweet moment with Esme. What more can you ask for?

Until next week,

Stay Awesome!


	17. Chapter 16 October 13th 1947

**A/N:**

I can't believe I missed updating with this chapter! Holy cow, am I getting my days confused! Sorry!

Just started a new job, so there will be an adjustment period :-P

 **Title:** Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

 **Author:** MarieCarro

 **Beta:** Alice's White Rabbit

 **Pre-reader:** BitterHarpy

 **Genre:** Family/Supernatural

 **Rating:** NC-17

 **Summary:** Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 16**

 **MONDAY, OCTOBER 13** **th** **1947**

"It's no use," Rosie said and straightened out from under the hood to meet my eyes through the windshield. "I'll have to redo the entire engine. There are too many faulty components. Whoever owned this before should never have been in possession of it." She gave me a skeptical glance. "Where did you say you got this from?"

"I didn't," I replied with a grin, and she rolled her eyes at me. "Don't give me that look," I said and climbed out of the front seat. "I wanted to surprise you, and it was just sitting there, obviously not in use. I doubt anyone would miss it."

She threw an oily cloth at me, aiming for my head, and I pretended as if it had hurt and fell dramatically down on the ground. She came closer and leaned over to keep eye contact with me even though I was down. "That clearly tells me you don't know the mindset of true auto-enthusiasts."

I reached out for her and let out a weak groan. "Help me. I was shot by an unmerciful angel."

"Sorry," she replied with a barely contained smile. "This angel remains unmerciful."

I threw my arms down on the ground, imitating a cross with my body. "Have you no sympathy for your dying husband?"

"Only if he were to do me a favor."

I bent my neck forward to get a better look at her where she was leaning against the side of the car by my legs. "What kind of favor?" I asked with suspiciously narrowed eyes, as if I would ever deny her anything.

"Well," she started in a seductive tone she knew I couldn't resist. "The parts I need are only available at a mechanic store out of town, and if my _sweet_ , _loving_ husband were to get them for me ..." She trailed off and then her eyes pierced into mine. "I'd be _most_ grateful."

The implication of her words was clear, and I was frozen for a moment in shock that she'd won over me in my own game. Then, a proud laugh left me, and I stood back up to reach for her. She willingly stepped into my arms, and I gave her a sound kiss.

"I'll be back later then."

She threw me a wink. "I'll be waiting."

I shook my head, once again surprised at how playful my wife had become in later years. At least around me. She would probably always be reserved around the others, but it couldn't be helped. It was more than enough for me that there were times when she felt relaxed enough to let go of her walls.

Rosie gave me thorough instructions on where I could find the store and which parts she would need before I left. It was one hour until the store closed for the night, and since running was faster, I took to the woods and country roads as was our usual way when we wanted to travel undetected.

I had to be a little more careful while I was still in and around Fairbanks though, and the route I'd taken had more open hayfields than trees to take cover in. I pretended I was out on a lazy stroll to enjoy the dusk when I passed a couple houses, and to really put the finishing touch on my act, I took a deep breath into my lungs.

The scent of the freshly mowed hay in the fields was overshadowed by the heavy scent of apples, both fallen fruit on the ground and the strong scent wafting from an orchard on the other side of the field.

My hands were in the pockets of my denim trousers, and my gaze was directed forward, calculating how far I'd have to walk at such a slow pace before I would be out of sight of the houses and I could once again start running.

The yards of the houses were empty and quiet except for one woman who was removing her sheets from the clothing line between the trees, and I didn't pay her any attention. The moment could have passed as any other insignificant moment in time—just blurring by in the periphery had it not been for that light, yet condemning, breeze sending the woman's scent my way.

In less than a fraction of a second, everything changed. I wasn't Emmett McCarty anymore, or even Emmett Mason, or Emmett Cullen. Not one of my aliases was for the thing I became, and there was no other way to describe it.

I wasn't a person with an identity. The only thing that mattered to me at that moment was that I was a vampire, and I wanted to consume the blood I smelled. It was more than a craving; it was an all-consuming need, and my very existence depended on me getting that blood.

There was no real awareness of my movements and actions as I went for the woman's throat. Nothing was blurry or unclear, but I was no longer in control of my own body or mind. I felt nothing but sweet satisfaction when my teeth pierced her skin, and there were a few droplets spraying onto the sheet still on the line.

The blood was intoxicating in a much more potent sense than alcohol, but I couldn't find another descriptor than of that rush alcohol gave you when it first took effect. It felt good, and you felt happy and calm at the same time.

Once the woman was drained, I was still reeling from the feeling of drinking her blood, and I couldn't feel guilty, but I was partly back to being myself again, and I knew I had to try and fix the situation. I needed to destroy the evidence and bury her body.

Only one of the sheets had the tiniest amount of blood spatter on it, and I rolled the body into that sheet while I continuously checked my surroundings to see that no one had taken notice of what had happened.

I slung the wrapped body over my shoulder and took one last wary sweep over the houses before I took the chance and ran as fast as I could toward the smattering of trees at the end of one of the fields.

Normally, we buried the bodies somewhere remote to keep humans from coming across the graves, but I was too stressed out to take the time to dig a hole. I wanted to get out of there as quickly as I could, and I wanted to get back home. I needed to see Rosie and talk to Carlisle because it had been different this time.

I hadn't tasted human blood for eight years, and my control had really approved in Alaska. There was always that struggle in the back of my mind, but it was easy to ignore. All I had to do was remind myself what I gained by restraining myself. Through that practice, I'd gained the love of my life and a family I'd gladly die for.

There wasn't a good reason for why I'd throw all of that away for just one human's blood, but that thought hadn't been in my head when it happened. Not for a second had I even considered to stop myself.

Determined to get back to my family, I searched through my pockets and found a matchbook Kate had given me as a joke after she'd returned home in the early morning dressed to the nines. She had been out all night, and when I'd casually asked where she'd been, she threw the matchbook to me with a wink and a "Where do you think?"

The matchbook had the name of a hotel in Anchorage printed on it, and I had quickly connected the dots. Kate had quite clearly been out with a man, and even if I hadn't come to the understanding myself, the smell on her would have given it away.

I lit the entire matchbook against a stone and tossed it onto the body, and then I waited until the fire licked at the white fabric. Once I felt the bundle was adequately consumed by the flames, I broke into a run in the direction back home. I didn't care about exposure or being more careful around the more inhabited areas. With the speed I maintained, I wouldn't have been more than a blur to the humans anyway.

As I was slowly coming back to being myself again, my mind started to assault me with everything spinning around in my head. I didn't think a vampire could feel such anxiety before, but with the way I was feeling, I couldn't argue against it.

I'd experienced panic as a human, but everything was tenfold now. I couldn't think clearly. Everything was a mess of thoughts, worries, and images of what I'd done.

Finally, I reached the front door, and I ran through it without slowing down. It closed with a bang, but I was too much in my head to care for any damage I could have caused to it.

"Emmett?" Carlisle came into the hall first, closely followed by Rosalie, and while he stopped a few feet before me, she immediately put her hands on my cheek and arm. Both of them gave me worried looks.

I knew Carlisle wanted to know what had happened. My eyes revealed the reason for my stress, but not the event itself.

Footsteps on the stairs told me Edward had come downstairs, and I hoped that maybe he'd be able to decipher my thoughts because I couldn't even as I tried to explain it to them all.

"I can't think clearly," I said in a weak voice. "I don't know what happened or how. The scent just blew my way, and I couldn't stop myself." I clenched my eyes tightly. "There wasn't a single thought of resis—"

"You don't have to explain," Rosalie interrupted to assure me and stroked my cheek. "It happened, and you can't take it back. It's okay."

"I know," I groaned. "But this was different. Not at all like other times. I've never … I mean, I can't even tell you what happened because I don't know."

Carlisle put a gentle hand on my upper arm. "Don't beat yourself up over it, son. If you don't want to tell us, it's okay."

I shook my head quite aggressively. "No, it's not that I don't want to. I can't because I didn't think it was possible."

He nodded, but I could see he didn't quite understand what I was saying either. "We'll talk more about it when you feel calmer, okay? Right now, what we need you to tell us is where this happened? Was it in Fairbanks?"

I swallowed the proverbial lump in my throat. I felt reassured he'd said we were going to talk about it because that meant he took my state of mind seriously. With a small nod, I confirmed his question.

"Yes. It was a woman just a few miles outside of town. The houses that are surrounded by hayfields."

"Quite close then," he mumbled to himself, and then exchanged a look with Esme and Edward. "Well, we have been stretching out our time here. It was just a matter of time when we'd have to move again."

Rosalie looked away from me, over her shoulder at Carlisle. "You mean we're going back to the States?"

"Yes."

 **{=DITM=}**

"Okay, then, Emmett. Tell me what you can about what happened." Carlisle interlocked his fingers on top of his desks and looked at me. "What was so different this time?"

The others were occupied with packing our belongings as we'd decided to leave the same day even though it was now late at night. The time didn't really matter to us. We just wanted to put as much distance between us and Fairbanks before the woman was noticed as missing.

I felt like myself again, and I tried to remember the exact feeling I'd had before I killed the woman, but I couldn't. It was clear it wasn't a normal intelligent response. It had felt more primal. "Have you ever thought a human could smell better than any other human?"

Carlisle's forehead didn't wrinkle as he narrowed his eyes in deep thought. "I heard of the possibility of such a thing while I lived with the Volturi, but I've never experienced it myself. Why?"

"That's what it was like," I said and once again tried to think back. "As soon as her scent reached me, nothing else mattered than I had to taste her blood. It was beyond normal thirst, Carlisle. It was intense and much more predatory than that."

He hummed to himself, and then leaned forward on his arms. "Did you have any control of your actions?"

It was easy to answer that one with a shake of my head. "None," I replied even though I didn't have to clarify further. "I didn't feel like myself, and my awareness was more like a spectator. It was quite unsettling once I came back to myself."

"Naturally," Carlisle agreed. "I don't have personal experience with this phenomenon, but from what the Volturi brothers told me, I understand it's not unheard of. I can only guess it comes more as a shock for those like us and Tanya's family." He met my eyes, and his were filled with sympathy and understanding. "I think the best you can do right now is try to forget and move on. It was clear it was an unwilling response on your part, and I don't want you to feel bad about it."

I smirked at him. "I think you're having me confused with Edward. I don't wallow. I know this wasn't my fault, and that I couldn't have stopped even if I'd had the sense to try. I might wish it had never happened because then the woman would still be alive, but I can't change the past."

Carlisle nodded with his own smile. His eyes still relayed about his sadness over the loss of the woman's life, but the rest of him was relieved we would be able to go back to our regular day-to-day life once we'd settled down again. I think he thought it was quite refreshing that I wasn't the type of person who threshed things over and over because we all knew we had enough of that to spare.

Not only from my lovely angel, but also from Edward, and sometimes even from Carlisle himself. Esme was better at letting things go, but I was pretty much the only one who could put it behind me the second it had happened.

I was quite proud of that trait of mine. I liked that I was able to live in the present the way I did. It made for a much happier outlook on life.

"I guess we should help the others with the packing," Carlisle said and made the move to stand up.

As I had the feeling the others were now listening to us, I saw that as an opportune moment to mess around a bit. "Naw," I disagreed with a grin and leaned back in my seat, my feet casually slung up on the edge of the desk. "Let them do it, and you and I can just relax another moment."

" _Emmett, if you don't come down here in two seconds, then so help me God ..."_ Rosalie yelled at me from downstairs, and I laughed before I also got up and followed Carlisle down.

"Take it easy, baby," I called back to Rose, still laughing. "You don't have to take the Lord's name in vain!"

* * *

 ** **A/N:****

So, that was my take on what happened with Emmett's singer. You know the one he thought about in Midnight Sun (If you've read the partial draft that is)

Hope you think I did it justice!

Until next week,

Stay Awesome!


	18. Chapter 17 Aug 12th 1949 - Mar 13th 1950

**A/N:**

Yes, I remembered this week! A miracle on its own because my brain is so mushy nowadays.

You can never truly get used to that first month at a new job. It always hits you like a concrete wall xD

Anyway, have a look at the date at the top of the chapter, and you might get a clue of what's coming around the corner very soon in upcoming chapters ;-)

 **Title:** Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

 **Author:** MarieCarro

 **Beta:** Alice's White Rabbit

 **Pre-reader:** BitterHarpy

 **Genre:** Family/Supernatural

 **Rating:** NC-17

 **Summary:** Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 17**

 **FRIDAY, AUGUST 12** **th** **1949** **– MONDAY, MARCH 13** **th** **1950**

It was somewhat surreal as I sat at the very top of the impressive structure that was the Eiffel Tower in Paris with Rosie in my arms and looking out over the lights of the city. We were higher up than regular visitors were allowed to go because she and I had scaled the tower long past its closing hours.

The tranquility of being up there, so high above everyone else, was all-encompassing bliss and made it more than believable that she and I were the only two people in the world. And I had never felt happier, except for maybe on the day we had renewed our wedding vows.

After Alaska, the family relocated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where we started over again, but this time, Edward, Rosie, and I all attended high school. Just a couple of months ago, I graduated for the first time, and it had been a strange feeling. Sort of anti-climactic, but it had still felt very good.

Logically, I knew there would be countless other times in the future when I would graduate high school, but this first time felt a little bit special. It was as if I finally proved to myself and everyone else I was intelligent enough for academia even though none of the others had ever implied anything else.

Rosie and I had talked about taking a few classes at the university because, like me, she had never gone beyond her own high school competence. There had always been something hindering her. In her human life, there wasn't even a thought that she would need higher education since she was supposed to marry a banker's son. Two years after her own change, I entered her life, and she preferred staying home with me than going to school with Edward.

In Alaska, once an adequate amount of years had passed and she could show herself in town as someone of university age, she simply didn't want to, and there was no reason to force her either. The classes and programs at the University of Alaska hadn't exactly been what she was interested in anyway as they were mostly focused on the mining business up there.

But before we thought any further on that topic, or decided on anything, we renewed our vows in the month after graduation, and now we enjoyed some time to ourselves, away from the family, and traveling through Europe. We never had a first honeymoon since we spent it in our house in Portland. This "second" honeymoon sort of made up for both of them.

I had noticed a different light in Rosie's eyes for the past couple of days. It was already clear to me she blossomed when she and I were alone. She felt more capable of throwing away all the pressure she felt around our family, and I hoped she would be able to bring some of that calm back with us once we decided to go back to America. We hadn't gotten that far into our planning yet.

"Rosie?"

She hummed in reply.

"Are you happy?" I knew even before I formed the thought in my head that it was a very charged question. She and I almost never talked about it since she'd told me at the beginning of our relationship how she'd most likely never feel completely happy. What I hoped by asking was to hear her say she was at least content.

A light sigh left her before she turned her head to look at me. "You know I love you, Emmett, so please don't ask me to lie to you."

I had expected an answer like that, but it was still painful to hear that I would never be completely enough for her. "I don't want you to lie to me," I said with whispered words. "I never want that."

"You're so wonderful to me." She grabbed my arms to tighten them around her. "If you only knew how often I wished I didn't feel the way I do because every time I catch myself longing for more, I realize I don't deserve you. You don't deserve a wife who is constantly unhappy."

"Just like you don't want to lie to me, I won't lie to you," I said and kissed the top of her head. "Am I disappointed I'm not enough? Yes. Does that make me love you any less? Hell no. You have a right to feel what you feel, and I wouldn't ever dream of taking that from you. As for what I deserve, I disagree with you. I deserve a wife who loves me unconditionally despite all my many flaws and my inability to remain serious; I deserve a wife who puts up with my stupidity and my weaknesses, and you just so happen to be that wife."

Our eyes met, and I noticed how she searched mine as if she were looking for a lie. It was something she'd always done, and I knew it wasn't because she didn't trust me. She did it because she could never fully believe what we had was real.

"I didn't ask to make you feel bad," I said and cupped her jaw in my hand. "I will always hope there will come a day when something happens and you finally feel content with this life. Whether that's tomorrow or sixty years from now or never doesn't matter because I have vowed to you, not once but twice, that I will dedicate my life to making you happy. I'll gladly do it because just having you, being with you like this, is more than I could have ever dreamed of having before we met."

With the use of my hand still on her jaw, I pulled her forward until our lips touched.

"I love you, Rosalie Lillian McCarty, and I won't ever stop. Not even if you asked me to."

 **{=DITM=}**

"I don't understand how you can find the patience to complete a degree," I said with a groan and threw myself, albeit carefully to make sure I didn't break anything, onto the couch next to Edward when I came home from the classes I was taking at the university. "I haven't even finished one semester, and I'm certain I could write my dissertation now and pass."

He didn't look up from his notebook where he was writing an essay for his own class, except he was still attending the high school. "Emmett, you might be more intelligent than the average human now, but not even you would be able to write a dissertation after two months of attending university classes. You haven't even chosen a major yet," he said with evident disinterest in his voice. His pen never ceased writing.

Feeling the challenge, I sat up straighter. "You want to bet?"

"No," he instantly said. "Because it can't be done. If you did, the teacher would assume you'd copied someone else's dissertation, and you'd never pass. That's just reality, Emmett. Accept it."

I let out another groan because I knew he was right. "But it's so boring."

Finally, he looked over at me. "You really want to talk about being bored with me?" he asked and then turned his notebook to show me the title of his essay. "Counting my human high school experience, this is my sixth time, and I am yet again writing a sociology essay about what social structure is and how it was affected by the war." In his own frustration, he tossed the notebook onto the coffee table. "I did the exact same thing before Alaska. The only difference is that it's a different war."

"Okay, fine," I acquiesced. "You win."

He chuckled at me. "I wasn't aware there was a competition."

"Do you know me at all?" I asked with heavy sarcasm. He should have known after fifteen years in the same family that I liked giving most anything a competitive twist as it kept things interesting. Then I had a brilliant idea.

Edward gave me a contemplating glance. "I'm up for it," he said. "It's still the middle of the week, though, so I'm not certain we'd get Carlisle with us."

"So just you and me, then," I pressed. "You and I rarely go hunting alone. It would be fun."

"There is a reason you and I don't go alone," he reminded me with one eyebrow raised. "We need buffers to keep from killing each other."

I placed my right hand over my silent heart. "I'll be on my best behavior. I promise."

"Mhm." He nodded. "Still not particularly reassured."

"You think I'd break a promise?" I asked, and I actually felt rather offended he thought that of me.

He shook his head. "Not at all. I just know your definition of 'best behavior' is vastly different from my own."

I smirked, unable to disagree with him. "Just c'mon. Both of us need to get out of here, or we'll grate on each other's nerves more than usual, and that's not pleasant for anyone."

"You have me there," he said, and then a smile stretched across his face. "I'll raise your suggestion with staying away for an entire week. My grades won't be affected if I skip a few classes, and my essay isn't due until next Friday. How about you?"

"I doubt my professors will miss me. They think I'm a nuisance anyway." I shrugged it off, but Edward looked at me with renewed interest.

"How is that possible? What exactly are you doing?"

"Oh, a little of this and little of that," I teased. "I've perfected the art of making indiscernible annoying sounds, but the professor keeps giving me the stink-eye so I think he knows it's me." I guffawed at the memory of what I'd done the previous day.

"So you haven't exactly perfected it," Edward questioned, but I waved him off.

"Technicalities."

He stood up from the couch and grabbed the notebook from the table before he started for the stairs. "We'll go tomorrow before dawn. We'll ask Carlisle tonight if he wants to come along, but I think I already know what his answer will be."

 **{=DITM=}**

As Edward had predicted, Carlisle wasn't able to take time off on such short notice, so he declined but told us to have a good time.

"I'll come along on the next hunting trip," he promised before giving Esme a kiss and disappearing out the door.

"I swear, sometimes I believe that man has another wife and family hidden away at that hospital," I joked, and because all of us knew how ridiculous that statement was, we cracked up. "I guess it's just you and me then, Ed."

"Looks like it. Will you be okay here alone?" he asked Esme and Rosie.

"Of course, we will," Esme insisted. "We'll have some bonding time of our own." She gave Rosie a conspiring look, and I was dying to ask what she had planned, but before I could, Edward had already said goodbye and disappeared out the door. I hurriedly gave Rosie a kiss and then followed him.

We had talked about where we wanted to spend our weeklong hunt, and while we'd both agreed the Appalachian Mountains was a given, the ridges and valleys stretched across several states. Since I didn't yet feel ready to return to Tennessee and my old stomping grounds, we remained in the central ridge around Virginia and West Virginia as both of us knew the wildlife suited our different tastes there.

However, when Edward suggested it, I'd been worried we'd be too close to our old house in Blackwater Falls where I'd been changed, but he reassured me we'd stay at least a forty or fifty-mile radius away from the park and not venture any closer than that.

The first couple of days passed by without anything too dramatic happening. Of course, I couldn't resist teasing my brother at times, and while he took most of it in stride, I knew he sometimes felt I took it a bit too far. Those times, he stayed away from me for a couple hours, and I at least had the sense to respect that. I was a jokester, but I wasn't stupid enough to encroach on someone who clearly wanted to be left alone, lest I wanted to lose a limb.

About halfway through our week, we were taking a break from hunting and just sat in a tree and talked. Or, Edward sat, and I was lying down on the thick branch below him.

"I'm not holding it against you for being gloomy," I said as we were talking about stuff we never really brought up while around the others. "I get you, and you know I do. I wouldn't be able to be married to Rosalie if I didn't understand."

"I know you do," he replied morosely while pulverizing a piece of bark in his hands. "But Rosalie's reasons differ from mine."

"Don't I know it. She all-together hates everything about this immortal life, but I somehow doubt you feel the same."

"Why do you think that?"

"You laugh more often than she does," I explained using very simplified examples, but it made my point. "You let go of your melancholy if you think it'll make Esme happier, and just the fact that you can do that tells me you're not stuck in your despondency like she is."

"I guess you're right."

"You guess?" I snickered. "Of course, I'm right! I mean, c'mon, you can't tell me there's absolutely nothing you enjoy of this life. Not without lying." When he didn't disagree, I grinned and felt very pleased with my analysis. "I think your problem is you're lonely."

For some reason, my statement made him laugh. "You're not the first person to say that."

I shrugged. "Which just further implements how awesome I am at seeing the core of the problem."

Edward looked down with amused eyes to where I was. "Okay, then, Dr. McCarty with an imaginary Ph.D. in psychology tell me what the solution to my problem is."

"You need a woman"—he rolled his eyes, but I continued—"or a man or whatever, I don't judge, but I am serious. You need someone you can just let go with—mentally and physically. You have so much pent-up energy inside you it's no wonder you're in the dumps."

"And where am I supposed to find this woman?" he questioned, but despite his annoyance, he played along and that was enough for me.

"Go back to Alaska," I suggested. "Didn't you and Tanya have a thing?"

He gave me a strange look as if he was questioning my sanity. "No, we didn't. She wanted there to be, but we're just friends."

"But why?"

"What do you mean 'why'?"

"Did you even try to see her in that way or did you immediately brush her off?" When he looked away toward the top of the tree, I knew I was right. "Everyone could see you had great chemistry. I'm sure you two would be—"

"Let me ask you something," he interrupted. "Even if there isn't an instant romance between two people, shouldn't there at least be something there? Even if it's only a spark of attraction?"

"You mean—"

"Yes!" He answered my thoughts before I was able to speak them out loud, and I did my best not to let that irritate me too much. "No matter how much she flirted or put herself out there for me, I felt nothing. I can look at her and appreciate her as a beautiful woman, but there's no attraction on my part. To me, she'll never be more than a friend."

I immediately backed off that track, but I felt the conversation wasn't over. "Okay, but Tanya wasn't your only option. What about the other two?"

"Just drop it, Emmett," Edward said and jumped down from the tree. "I have accepted my solitude and that it'll most likely stretch across the rest of my existence." He ran and disappeared from sight.

"I sincerely hope not," I muttered to myself before I followed him.

* * *

 **A/N:**

With every chapter I write on this story, I fall more and more in love with Emmett! How about you guys?

Tell me your thoughts and Emmett will visit your dreams! xD

Until next week,

Stay Awesome!


	19. Chapter 18 March 16th 1950

**A/N:**

Two familiar people will enter the story in this chapter! ;-) I know a few of you have been waiting for it :-D

 **Title:** Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

 **Author:** MarieCarro

 **Beta:** Alice's White Rabbit

 **Pre-reader:** BitterHarpy

 **Genre:** Family/Supernatural

 **Rating:** NC-17

 **Summary:** Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 18**

 **THURSDAY, MARCH 16** **th** **1950**

Neither Edward nor I spoke much as we made our way back home. It didn't bother me much, even though I was the sort of person who preferred conversation over prolonged silences. It gave me the opportunity to listen to my own thoughts.

The week had been very refreshing, but I was missing Rosie. She and I rarely separated for long periods of time, and while I'd heard it was healthy in a relationship to miss each other, I had to say I favored being with my wife instead of away from her.

It took us a few hours to reach our home as we'd hunted as far as three hundred miles away, and it was around midday when we saw the house in the distance. The unexpected part was the two strange scents in the air. I registered them before Edward, but when he did, we exchanged worried glances.

What had happened in our absence? Who were the two strangers? Friends or foes? We started running faster as we were afraid our family was in danger, but we'd barely entered our own yard before our ears were assaulted by a high-pitched squeal.

"They're back!" The light female voice from inside our house was completely unfamiliar. "We have to go meet them! No, wait; it'll go smoother if you wait here."

Edward and I were frozen in our spots in shock over what we were hearing, and it didn't calm me down that he couldn't tell me what was going on despite his mind reading. He appeared just as taken aback as I was.

Out through the front door, the tiniest girl—no, _woman_ —came running, and she stopped right in front of us. She was wearing high-heeled shoes yet the top of her head didn't even reach the height of my shoulders. Had her dress not revealed her obviously adult body, I would have guessed her to be a pre-teen because she was even shorter than I could remember Bea had been before I was changed.

She had raven-black hair cropped surprisingly short for a woman, but as surprising as her appearance was, what was even more so was her light golden eyes just taking us in as if we were long-lost family members of hers.

"Oh, I have wanted to meet you two for so long, and now here you are," she gushed. She offered her hand to us, but I felt too suspicious to accept her handshake. Why was she so excited to see us? What did we mean to her? Where was our family? "I'm Alice, your new sister."

My mind was drawing a blank. I couldn't come up with anything to say in response to her absurd statement, but luckily, Edward's tongue loosened before my own, and he asked the same question I had.

"Uh, I'm sorry, but … sister?"

"If we go inside, every single one of your questions will be answered. I promise," Alice said, but the way she said it made me think she didn't just say that to reassure us.

Feeling somewhat dazed, Edward and I followed the small woman inside, and while our family sat in the sitting room, clearly unharmed, it didn't make me feel better to see them because they were sitting with the owner of the other strange scent, and he was a scarier sight than the woman had been.

Despite him sitting down, I could see he was only a couple inches shorter than me, but he didn't have my body mass. I remained on guard, though, because his short-sleeved shirt didn't cover his arms. The taut tendons and muscles stretching under his skin made it clear he was equally as tense as I was, but even worse were the numerous bite marks scattered all the way down to his hands. I could only guess his entire body was covered with them as his neck displayed them too. Most of them overlapped, and I felt terrified of what they implied.

From what Eleazar had told us as well as Carlisle, they were battle scars, and since the man sat in our sitting room, he'd obviously survived to tell the tale, which in my book made him lethal. It didn't matter to me that his eyes were as golden as the rest of ours.

My eyes wandered over to where Rosalie sat, and I didn't like how close in proximity she was to him. I wanted to go over there and protect her with my own body, but I was afraid any sudden movements would set the man off.

Fortunately, I didn't have to place myself in between my wife and the stranger because she stood up and walked over to me. She was too vulnerable for the millisecond it took her to cross the room, but I refrained from grabbing her as I didn't want to reveal how scared I actually was.

As Rosalie settled in my embrace, I felt myself calming down, but it confused me because, normally, I wasn't able to calm down that fast.

"Carlisle, could you explain what is going on, please?" Edward sounded just as strangely calm as I felt, and while I wanted to know what the hell was happening, I couldn't really find it in me to care either.

Carlisle gestured toward the strange man and the small woman who was now sitting next to him, his hand tightly clasped in her own. "This is Alice, who you've already met, and Jasper. They came here the day after you left."

I was just going to ask why they were still here, but Carlisle wasn't finished.

"Alice has a gift that allows her to see the future, and she had a vision that she and Jasper would be a part of our family. When they came here, she told us about everything she'd seen. It was all so compelling, there was no way we couldn't believe her."

A very girly giggle fell from Alice's lips. "I have that effect on people."

"Jasper also has a gift," Carlisle continued. "He's pathokinetic"—he saw my perplexed look and explained further—"an empath. He can control and project emotions, and I believe he is projecting on the two of you at the moment."

It explained why the strange calm I felt didn't fade away even as I didn't like to hear someone was manipulating my emotions at all. Both Edward and I turned to the man, and all he did was give us an unapologetic smile.

"Everythin'll go easier if all of us remain calm," he explained.

I immediately knew from his accent that he was from Texas, but I automatically wondered how long into this life he was. I was still considered a young vampire with my mere fifteen years, but my own accent had pretty much disappeared after my first two. Jasper had an aura of maturity around him akin to Carlisle and Edward, but then why was his accent so heavy?

And I couldn't shake the absurdity of the situation, no matter how calm I felt, and I turned back to Carlisle. "So, basically, what you're saying is that you've adopted these two because one of them _'saw'_ that they would become part of our family?"

Our esteemed leader only gave me a nod in reply, and all I could do was shake my head. How could he trust them? One of them saw the future and one could manipulate emotions, so who knew what they could get away with if they decided it.

Rosie put her hand on my cheek and forced me to look at her. "I know this is strange to you, but Alice and Jasper are really nice. Could you at least try to accept them?"

As soon as she asked me to, I already had, and not just because of what she said. I could see something in her eyes I had only seen before when she and I were alone: tranquility and peacefulness. Whether that was due to her liking the newcomers or because of Jasper's gift was unclear, but when I saw it, I didn't care. It was just too wonderful to see her so relaxed around the others.

"Thank you for the compliment, Rose." Alice's use of my wife's nickname just further enforced my new conviction of the two arrivals' sincerity. She didn't allow just anyone to call her anything but her given name. Furthermore, Alice's wink and smile toward Rosie told me the two of them had already grown quite close despite the short amount of time they'd known each other.

Edward took the first step, though, by approaching Jasper and offering to shake his hand. "It's nice to meet both of you. I apologize for our behavior," he said on both our behalves. "I guess we were somewhat shocked."

"There's no need to be so formal, Edward," Alice insisted. "We're family now, but I won't hug you just yet because I can see it will make you uncomfortable." I found myself starting to like Alice more and more. She reminded me of a more sped-up female version of myself, and once I had also shaken Jasper's hand, I decided to test her.

I was a physical person, and my way of showing affection to people had always been through touches or hugs. As I decided to hug the little imp before me, her smile widened, and she eagerly jumped into my arms. Her feet dangled in the air, and she let out a delighted and contagious laugh.

"Well, aren't you the cutest little thing," I said and put her back on her feet before demonstrating the difference in our height by holding my hand over her head. "You're not even the size of my human little sister, and she was fourteen when I last saw her."

"Jasper calls me travel-sized, so I'll go with that," she replied cheekily, and it caused me to laugh again.

"I like that," I approved. "Since Ed and I are late to the party, why don't you tell us a bit about yourselves?" I sat down on the couch and pulled Rosie with me so she was sitting on my lap. Alice climbed up on the back of the couch and sat there next to my head.

"I don't have a lot to tell about myself. I woke up in 1920 somewhere inBienvilleNational Forest in Mississippi, although it wasn't a national forest at the time. I had a vision of Jasper even before I opened my eyes. I didn't know what it meant, but something told me I was supposed to find him, and as soon as I decided I would, I had my next vision of Carlisle and Edward returning to America from Europe."

In the background, I heard Edward was having a conversation with Jasper about his start in this life, and while I startled a bit at hearing he'd been a Major in the Confederate Army, I did my best to give all my focus to Alice. Jasper and I could talk later.

"It took some time for me to figure out how my visions worked, but once I did, I understood certain things had to happen in a certain order for the outcome to be what I wanted it to be. It wasn't enough that I had decided to find Jasper because if I'd looked for him at that time, he would have rejected me as he wasn't ready for a different kind of life than the one he was used to. So I waited, and that pretty much sums up most of my existence. The time wasn't right for me to introduce myself to Jasper until two years ago, and once he trusted me, we set out to find you."

"So you just waited for twenty-eight years?" I asked while feeling both impressed and somewhat cautious. Even for vampires, doing nothing for twenty-eight years must have been tedious, and it didn't sound entirely normal to me.

Alice gave me an amused look. "I didn't just sit down and become a statue. I hunted, of course, and taught myself to live off animals. I wanted to make the transition into this family as smooth as possible. Although, truthfully, I mostly lived through my visions. It made the passing time more bearable." For a second, a somewhat saddened light had glinted in her eyes, but it was soon replaced with excitement again. "I saw it all. I saw how all of you came to this family, where you moved, and the weddings. It made me wish I'd been there, but I'm glad I at least got to see it."

Suddenly, she got a faraway look in her eyes, and I immediately understood she was having one of her visions. When she came out of it, she didn't tell us what it had been about, but she excused herself to go outside with a somewhat remorseful expression.

"What was that all about?" I asked everyone, but it was Jasper who answered.

"She followed Edward to the garage," he explained and occupied the seat Alice had left.

"Why?"

"Most likely to apologize for stealin' his room." Jasper grinned when he understood I wasn't following him at all. "I heard how she told you she lived through her visions while she waited for me. Well, she still does that, and that's why she's constantly excited. She already knows what will happen, and if it's somethin' positive, she has a tendency to act on the future instead of the present." I still wasn't following him, but I didn't interrupt. "When she saw the two of us livin' in this house with you all, she saw us in a specific room—Edward's room. A part of her didn't really think of the fact that it was already taken, and once Esme had agreed to it, she packed all of his things into boxes and put them in the garage."

I looked over at Esme, and she looked as if she'd committed the most horrible crime. "I've felt overwhelmingly guilty this entire week," she said and wrung her hands. "I wasn't aware of Alice's"—she tried to come up with a word that didn't sound too negative—"enthusiasm when I said she and Jasper could have the room. I thought she'd wait until you two returned, but before I knew it, she'd already emptied Edward's room, and I didn't have the heart to tell her she had to put everything back."

A grimace overtook my face. "You'll have to tell that to Edward or I'm sure he'll be really hurt by all of this."

"I know." She buried her face in her hands. "I am a horrible mother."

Before I could protest, Jasper stepped in. "You're no such thing, Esme. Don't feel bad for Alice's overzealous personality. You couldn't have known how she'd react. Besides, if the love I feel you have for each member of this family is anythin' to go on, I'd say you're far from bein' a bad mother."

I was absolutely positive had Esme been able to blush, her face would have been flaming red in response to Jasper's kind words. As it was, she did cast her eyes down as a smile played around her mouth, and she gave him a silent "Thank you."

As that moment passed, I shifted my attention to Jasper. I felt it was important he understood the roles we had in the family. "If you're gonna be my brother, you'd better be prepared and know that I prefer taking life with a grain of salt, and there might be times when things happen which may not make you laugh, but will definitely be entertaining for me."

Jasper gave me a smirk. "Oh, Alice has told me _all_ about you, Emmett, and you'll find that I might have a trick or two up my own sleeve." He winked while I gaped, and the others actually laughed at me. "I'm not the only one who'll need to keep an eye out from now on … brother."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 ** **About a certain word in the chapter (behalves for those of you didn't take notice of it) here's a little info from my lovely beta:**** ** _ **In modern usage, "behalf" is an invariable noun and has no plural form. The old plural "behalves" is considered obsolete since 1956.**_**

 ** **Since this chapter takes place in 1950, the use of the plural form isn't technically incorrect ;-)****

What did you think of Alice and Jasper's introduction? Was it the way you imagined?

In this series, I'm doing everything I can to keep the "fanfiction-Alice" at a minimum, or at the very least, explain why she is the way she is. I feel it's important to write her in a way that is still likeable because in the books, Alice is the sister you're supposed to like the most.

I have never liked how overly-bossy she appears in other stories, or how child-like stubborn she is either.

She will still be a giddy, giggly, excited little person, but she won't be the overbearing version she is in many other fanfiction stories as I feel canon Alice has the ability to be calm and serious, too. I hope you like my interpretation!

Until next week,

Stay Awesome!


	20. Chapter 19 March 16th - Aug 20th 1950

**A/N:**

I very nearly forgot to update this story! Man, having this new job has caused me to carry my head under my arm, and I forget things constantly :-P

 **Title:** Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

 **Author:** MarieCarro

 **Beta:** Alice's White Rabbit

 **Pre-reader:** BitterHarpy

 **Genre:** Family/Supernatural

 **Rating:** NC-17

 **Summary:** Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 19**

 **THURSDAY, MARCH 16** **th** **– SUNDAY, AUGUST 20** **th** **1950**

"You don't remember anything? Anything at all?"

"No."

"How is that possible?" I turned to Carlisle, as he was the most well educated man I knew. " _Is_ that possible?"

"I've never heard of it happening before, but I don't see how it could be _im_ possible," he said with apologetic eyes directed toward Alice. "Humans can experience temporary, or even permanent, amnesia after traumatic events or accidents. In Alice's case, however, the traumatic event must have happened parallel with the change."

"How so?" Edward inquired with intrigue. He was as stumped by this as I was. "Couldn't it have been the change in itself? It is more traumatic than any human accident can possibly be."

Carlisle nodded. "While that is true, had it been the change, the venom would have healed any damage it caused, and Alice would have remembered what led up to her being bitten. Take Esme for example"—he tightened the arm around her shoulders—"while she couldn't recall climbing up to the cliff at the time, her other senses were aware of it, and therefore, she can still see the memory if she decides to."

Esme nodded to confirm his words before directing her eyes elsewhere. We rarely spoke of Esme's suicide attempt, which was the direct cause of her becoming a vampire. Naturally, all of us knew about it, but we knew it still hurt her to think of it, and so, we simply avoided bringing it up.

Now, however, her posture suddenly relaxed, and a small smile stretched across her face. She turned to look at Jasper. "Thank you," she said, and I understood he'd used his emotion mojo on her to help her with her pain.

I liked Jasper more and more with every passing hour.

"My only theory would be that the origin of Alice's memory loss occurred before the change, and the venom healed the physical injury that caused the amnesia to begin with. But the lost memories were already gone and could therefore not be restored," Carlisle finished, and his expression was frustrated. Carlisle wasn't the type of person to showcase any aggressive emotions unless he was seriously provoked, and I believe his frustration stemmed from not knowing something about what he thought was basic vampire anatomy.

"Don't feel guilty, Carlisle," Jasper spoke up in his low, and strangely soothing, tones. "I'm not nearly as old as you, but I've crossed my fair share of vampires in my lifetime. While I didn't make a habit of conversin' with them before tearin' them apart, I believe I knew enough about them to say with certainty that this phenomenon isn't particularly common. I was as confused as you are now when Alice told me."

When Jasper had finally told me his story, I had been awestruck by it. I'd already been aware of the wars in the south since Carlisle had told me about them, but sitting next to Jasper, knowing he'd lived through them and survived, put all of that in a new perspective for me.

Just like my parents and brothers had told me about the first World War and how it had affected them when they thought Dad would be drafted, it had all felt distant to me by the time I was old enough to understand. It didn't directly affect me then.

This was similar to that. Carlisle had told me about the Southern Wars, but Jasper was the tangible proof of them. Or, his scars were. Hundreds upon hundreds of them inflicted by newborns who had tried, and failed, to kill him.

It also fascinated me that before he'd left his creator behind and moved up north, he had essentially been unaware of the world outside. He'd had no idea one, let alone two, world wars had raged in Europe, or the evolution of industries and technology.

He'd naturally seen horses and carriages being replaced by motor vehicles whenever he hunted in a city, but beyond that, he'd been completely cut off from civilization.

"And since I don't remember it, I can't really miss it," Alice insisted reassuringly. "I'm fine with it. I promise."

 **{=DITM=}**

"Do you think it's the Russians doing?" I asked Jasper as we placed all of our suitcases in the trunks of our three, newly purchased cars that would take us to our next hometown of Calgary, Alberta. We had to dodge the draft for the Korean War, which they'd started to send young men to, and a unanimous decision in the family had made us decide not to try our luck by staying in Philadelphia.

Carlisle was the only one of us who would ever feel okay on a battlefield with a thick scent of fresh blood in the air.

"Tell me if I've understood this correctly," Jasper said and turned to me. "In 1917, the Russian Tsar was overthrown and replaced by a government, but because of differin' opinions, it resulted in a civil war, which the Red Army won, and in 1922, they became the Soviet Union. That nation now has an ideology called communism, which removes all social classes and pretty much makes it impossible to have success above the average citizen. The fear now is that they want to spread this ideology throughout the world, startin' with Korea."

I gaped at Jasper. Even with perfect memory, I was impressed he'd made the effort to learn about all of that stuff. I knew about it because it had been talked about in school, but had it not been an academic assignment, I would never have even attempted to teach myself any of it. It simply didn't hold any interest to me.

"Did I miss somethin'?"

"No." I shook my head. "I actually think you taught me a few things." Both of us chuckled lightly. "Why did you learn it all?"

"The makin' of wars has always interested me—the how's and why's. Each side always has a reason logical enough to gain followers, no matter whether it's the winnin' or the losin' side. Before I form my opinion, I prefer havin' all the facts. It's the most strategic way you can go about things," he explained calmly. "Before I was created, Russia was still an empire with a tsar. In order for me to understand this war and why people fear Russia's involvement, I had to look into its history."

I nodded to myself. "Yeah, makes sense, I guess."

The rest of the family came outside with their own suitcases, and we filed into the cars; Edward took the wheel of the one Alice and Jasper were in as neither of them had driven a car before while the rest of us paired up with our partners.

Since we would take a route cross-country, the journey to Calgary would normally have taken almost thirty-five hours, but Rosie had naturally tweaked the engines of our vehicles to allow us to travel much faster. Edward's car took the lead so that he and Alice would be able to know beforehand if any traffic officers would be in our way, and they could signal us.

With the new engine speed, we'd reach Alberta in a little more than half the time.

As our relocation to Canada was solely because of the military draft, Esme had opted out of buying property this time. Instead, she found a ranch house for rent with an accompanying nine acres of land surrounding it with a lot of it being forest; a small win for us. It meant more isolation and less questions being asked about our rather large family.

It would be interesting to see how many more stares and rumors we'd have to endure now with two more additions. Five months with Alice and Jasper hadn't told us much, except that Alice had said she knew everything would work out perfectly in the end.

All we could do was trust her at this point because if we didn't, she gave us the most heart-wrenching look of all times. "You think I'm lying or making it up?" she'd ask in a gutted voice, and the rest of us would feel so guilty as if we'd committed the most unthinkable crime against her.

We'd learned that Alice was very sensitive when it came to her visions, but for what reason not even she could answer. All she could tell us was that whenever we doubted her, something inside her clenched so painfully she couldn't even describe it.

Jasper had explained it would have been akin to being punched really hard in the stomach as a human, and you lost your breath for, what felt like, a never-ending moment.

After he said that, we'd all agreed that unless the vision Alice had was directly linked to an easily changed decision—we'd learned that her visions were subjective to the choices people made and that such futures could always change—we'd always trust her word. It was better than to cause her pain.

Alice had, already in the short amount of time I'd known her, become a little sister to me. She could easily be as annoying as one when she wanted to be, yet I could no longer see our family without her and Jasper in it. They naturally fit with us.

It also became clear in the time they'd been with us that Alice had very good control over her thirst while Jasper struggled more. Not that any one of us would have expected anything else. He'd only practiced the lifestyle for two years after more than half a century of human blood. It would have been a miracle if he didn't have a hard time adjusting.

He'd explained to us that he thought it came down to changing his view of the humans. For the longest time, he'd seen them as no more than cattle, a quota of blood divided equally between the vampires controlling that area. That was what his creator had drilled into him.

The fact that he could feel their emotions had naturally caused him to have more sympathy for them than the others, but it merely resulted in him killing them faster in more merciful ways. He still saw them as food.

With Alice's help, he was slowly building on his sympathy for the humans as she told him of the futures she saw them having, and the people who would grieve for them if they went missing or turned up dead. It helped some, but not always.

As we had expected, we reached our new house in Calgary in the early morning hours, just before sunrise, and we immediately worked on settling in. The house, like our previous ones, was grand and had more bedrooms than we'd use, but we weren't planning on staying in Canada for long, so it didn't really matter. As long as all of us had our own little nook we could escape into when we needed to be by ourselves or with our mates, then it was enough for us.

"I had an idea earlier," Carlisle announced as we all helped to unpack his numerous books. "We never really had a good explanation about Jasper and Alice joining us. I told a few colleagues that Alice was Edward and Emmett's second cousin, and Jasper was her fiancé, but they weren't fully convinced." He looked between Rosie and Jasper. "You two resemble each other enough to pass for fraternal twins. If Jasper would agree to change his last name to Hale, it would be even better."

A small twitch of Rosie's lips told me she was grateful he hadn't suggested she changed her last name. She was still sensitive when it came to her last human connection. She only accepted to change it to take my name, but that was it.

"I don't mind," Jasper replied with a shrug. "I left my own name behind decades ago anyway. I think I could get used to being Jasper Hale."

Alice gasped in the corner, and we all looked at her in question. She was locked in a vision, but from her growing smile, I assumed it wasn't anything bad she was seeing. Edward also started smiling, and then Jasper couldn't hold back his own.

"Whatever could you possibly be seeing to cause such happiness, darlin'?" he asked her and rose to his feet. He walked over to her, almost as if he were being subconsciously pulled toward the joyful feelings.

She shifted her eyes to his as her vision left her, and I almost felt as excited as Jasper to hear what she'd seen. I wanted to know what could cause three people to start smiling like fools in less than a second.

"I want to tell you, but I don't want to ruin it," she said, but then it was as if she simply couldn't hold it in. "I want you to know that when you decide to do it, I'll still act surprised if that's what you want."

Jasper gently cradled her face in his hands. "What are you talking about?"

I looked over at Edward to get a hint, and he subtly tapped his left ring finger. My own grin took over, as I understood Alice had seen her and Jasper tie the knot.

Until that moment, I hadn't really thought of the status of their relationship. A part of me had assumed they had already married, maybe in a city hall somewhere before they found us as they had been together for two years at that point. They certainly already lived like a married couple.

Not that I was anyone to talk about practicing abstinence before marriage. The Lord knew Rosie and I had broken that rule long before I proposed.

"I ..." she started, then took a deep breath and began again. "I saw us getting married in the back yard."

Jasper smiled again, clearly not annoyed she knew before him. "Did you see when it would happen?"

Alice let out a happy little giggle and shook her head. "Only that it must have been summer or spring." She reached up to wrap her arms around his neck, but even in her heels, she had to really stretch. The height difference between the two of them was almost comical but also sweet.

Suddenly, Jasper produced a box from his trouser pocket. "How about next summer?"

I believe that was the first time I ever saw Alice being genuinely surprised. It was clear she hadn't at all expected Jasper to already have a ring, and even before she opened the box to look at it, she jumped up into his arm and kissed him with fervor and a loud "Yes!" falling from her lips.

While none of us were strangers to showing affection around other people, all of us still felt mildly uncomfortable imposing on their private moment. Unlike Rosie and me, they weren't overly physical with each other, so at times when they were, it felt a hundred times more intimate.

To disperse the ever-growing tension in the room, I clapped my hands together enthusiastically. "Sounds like we've got us a weddin' to plan!" I exclaimed, allowing my previous Tennessee accent to become unnecessarily heavy.

The others let out relieved laughter at my antics, and I mentally gave myself another score for having saved a potentially awkward situation.

* * *

 **A/N:**

I won't include Jasper and Alice's wedding in this story. I'll save that for their stories ;-)

Sooo, what did you think? I agonized over this chapter so much (my beta can attest to that) because I was experiencing a huge writer's block because I wanted to include a summary of the Korean War, and that topic wasn't ever covered in my history class in Sweden xD

Anyway … until next week,

Stay Awesome!


	21. Chapter 20 August 5th - August 28th 1954

**A/N:**

If you are my friend on Facebook or if you're subscribed to my blog on my website, this won't be any news to you, but I'll be damned if I don't say it anyway xD

Today, April 10th, is a very, very, very special day for me, and also, kinda, for this story as well.

You see, 9 years ago right down to the day, I posted my very first fanfiction chapter, so this is actually my anniversary, yay! I never would have stayed around this long if it weren't for you guys, and all the friends I've made in the fandom over the years. You are all amazing, and don't let anyone make you believe anything else.

Why does this make it a special day for this story, you ask?

I'm glad you did.

You see, the first chapter I posted, of my very first fanfiction story, is actually the reason why I even decided to write this one in the first place because that story was none other than A Lost Soul; Edward's Origin story.

When that story first posted, it was nothing like it currently is today; riddled with spelling errors, grammatical issues, and language mistakes. The plot wasn't fully thought through, and the characters were flat. However, it remains, to this day, the one fanfiction story I am the most proud of, and that's why I'm currently revising it for a 3rd and FINAL time because I want it to work flawlessly like a companion story to this one :)

Therefore, technically, even though you might not be an Edward fan, you have his story to thank for being able to read this one right now ;-)

Anyway, that was all I had to say up here. Now go on and read the chapter and I'll see you again at the bottom!

 **Title:** Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

 **Author:** MarieCarro

 **Beta:** Alice's White Rabbit

 **Pre-reader:** BitterHarpy

 **Genre:** Family/Supernatural

 **Rating:** NC-17

 **Summary:** Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 20**

 **THURSDAY, AUGUST 5** **th** **– SATURDAY, AUGUST 28** **th** **1954**

"I wish I had a favorite like you do," Jasper said as the family planned a hunting trip, and Edward and I talked about how we wanted to track down a few carnivores this time, as we'd settled for deer the past three months. "I can taste the difference between grass-eaters and meat-eaters, but that's it."

"I'm sure you'll find a favorite someday," Edward encouraged. "I didn't really see mountain lions as my favorite until after I returned to Carlisle and Esme in the—" He stopped mid-sentence and whipped his head toward Alice, which caused the rest of us to follow his stare.

She was standing rigid with her eyes glossed over, trapped in a vision. It didn't appear to be a pleasant one.

Jasper reacted in an instant, not only because of the emotions he most likely felt emitting from his wife, but also because they were as in tune with each other as Rosie and I or Carlisle and Esme. It was the natural reaction vampires had when their mate was in distress.

He tried to soothe her by brushing the short strands of her hair away from her face. "What is it, sweetheart?" he asked in whispered tones. "What do you see?"

"Too close … I didn't know—I didn't see," she mumbled, still in a trance. "No time to leave."

I didn't like what she was implying, and I slowly started to step closer to Rosie in case I had to protect her from something.

Alice blinked once and came back to the present. Her eyes locked with Jasper's, and she placed her hands over his on her cheeks. "She's here," she said, and Jasper stiffened.

Maybe it was his own sudden distress that caused it, or maybe it was a combination of Alice's words and the building stress from the rest of us, but suddenly, Jasper projected emotions that made me want to grab Rosie's arm and run as far away as possible. I couldn't put a name on the feeling because it wasn't really fear but still something very similar to it.

"Who's here?" Esme asked before there was the clear sound of bare feet on our front lawn.

Jasper swallowed thickly before whispering the name. "Maria."

The name was unfamiliar to us because Jasper had never mentioned it, but my guess was that Maria was his creator. When he told us his story, he'd said he was changed by a female and her two companions, but he never gave us any of their names, stating he'd rather forget about all of it. It was understandable, as neither of us could have anticipated anyone from Jasper's past finding him in Canada.

We all turned to Carlisle for guidance. He was the leader and the only one who could decide whether we should flee or stay and perhaps have to fight, depending on what this Maria wanted. After looking over all of us, but especially lingering on Jasper, he stood up from his seat, straightened his clothes, and then walked to the front door. The rest of us followed silently.

Jasper and Carlisle stepped out on the porch together, and as I walked out behind them, I saw a petite brunette woman dressed in what looked like a nineteenth century corset, underskirt, and a torn and dirty confederate uniform jacket. Her eyes were red but dangerously dark.

Thirsty.

As soon as Maria saw Jasper, she smiled. It was a lovely and angelic smile but felt false. "Jasper," she crooned and took a step forward. I was about to step around Jasper to flank him, but Alice beat me to it and entwined her fingers with his. Maria naturally saw it, and she appeared amused. "How cute," she said. "You've found yourself a little plaything. I guess you can bring her with you, if you insist."

It amazed me how she just assumed Jasper would go with her, but then again, she'd had control over him for most of his life, so maybe it wasn't too strange she'd thought that.

"Maria, this is my wife Alice," Jasper introduced through a tightly clenched jaw. "And the rest of my family. What are you doin' here?"

She started laughing, almost manically. "Don't be absurd, my love. ¡Erés mío!"

"I'm not, nor was I ever, your love," Jasper retorted, but the edge to his voice made it clear there were more history between him and Maria than just a creator and her warrior. "Tell me why you're here or leave."

"Why should I explain?" Maria asked, and her smile turned vicious. "You were the one who abandoned me."

"Because you were goin' to turn on me!" Not even Alice's touch appeared to have much effect on Jasper's anger, and even though he wasn't actively projecting, all of us could feel the taste of the rage bubbling inside of him. "I left so you wouldn't force my hand and make me kill you."

Maria's smile fell, and she sighed as if she were regretting something. "You're right. You were always right about such matters."

I could tell she wasn't genuine. Even without gifts, it was blatantly obvious to me. She was a master at manipulation, that much I could tell, and if I hadn't heard it from Jasper before, I might have fallen for her act. Not now, though.

"I was always loyal to you, Maria. I saved you from Nettie and Lucy. I helped you destroy them, and yet, you betrayed me. How could you do that?" Once again, the pain in Jasper's voice made it clear there was more to the story than he'd told us. For a second, I wondered if they'd perhaps had a romantic relationship at one point and whether Alice knew about it.

"I was scared. My warriors were so loyal to you I thought you'd turn them on _me_ ," she said, effectively turning the blame around and portraying herself as the victim. "But if you were dead, they'd be loyal to me. I was wrong. I see that now. I _need_ you, Jasper."

Jasper vehemently shook his head. "I'm not goin' back. I was only a puppet to you, but here, I have a family who cares for me." He promptly placed his arm protectively around Alice and pulled her tighter to his side. "I want you to leave. _Now_."

Maria's red eyes hardened when she understood pleading wasn't working. "I was afraid Peter would have tamed you too much." Her tone was accusing and disgusted, but it got the desired reaction out of Jasper.

"Peter had _nothing_ to do with who I am today," he spat back at her. I subtly placed my hand on his shoulder, but whether it was to restrain him or give him support, I wasn't sure of myself. For a millisecond, Maria's eyes shifted to Alice, and her body tensed as if she wanted to attack. It had most likely been her intention because Jasper growled ferociously. "Keep her out of it," he warned through the rumbles in his chest.

"Ricardo took Nuevo Laredo from me. Don't you remember how hard we fought for that territory? How it felt when we won?" Maria continued, seemingly trying a different strategy.

"Forget it. I'm done with that life. I'm done with _you_."

Her eyes blazed with fury. " _I_ created you! _You_ belong to _me_!" she screamed, but Jasper was unfazed.

"I only belong to myself and Alice," he replied, much calmer than a second before. "This is the last time I'm telling you to leave."

A crooked smirk softened Maria's angry features. "You've never been able to resist me, _mi amante_ ," she said seductively and blinked with her large eyes while taking a step toward us.

I immediately reacted in defense of my brother and squeezed myself in between him and Carlisle to make a statement to the woman who wanted to take him from us. She would have to go through me first. "I suggest you let my brother be, or you'll have to answer to me," I said and crossed my arms to display my strength. Rosalie and Edward followed suit and stepped closer to Jasper to show our solidarity.

She met my eyes steadily and cocked her head to the side. "Impressive friends you keep nowadays. However, I hope you haven't underestimated me. You know me, Jasper. I wouldn't come here alone."

As if on cue, two sets of footsteps started by the tree line, and two Hispanic males of my own size walked up behind Maria and flanked her sides. "Juan and Carlos are my bodyguards," she explained sweetly. "They're here to protect me."

"From who?" Jasper asked. "Me?"

Maria didn't reply, but it was all the answer Jasper, and the rest of us, needed. Maria was scared of Jasper and needed cannon fodder in case she'd have to flee.

"I don't want to fight, but I will if I have to," Jasper stated, and since he could feel all of us were backing him, he continued without hesitating. "We outnumber you by four, so odds aren't in your favor. Add to that, your _bodyguards_ are barely a year old, and you're not a fighter." Jasper was confidant enough to let out a skeptical laugh. "We're givin' you a chance to leave without any consequences if you promise you'll remain in the south from now on. Don't ever come and look for me again. It's over, Maria. Accept that."

" _Please_ , Jasper." She tried pleading again with a pout. "If Ricardo attacks, I will lose everything. He will kill me without mercy. He will burn me alive without tearing me apart first. I need your help."

I couldn't detect a falter in Jasper's stance, but maybe Alice could because she wrapped her arms around his waist as if to physically keep him with her.

Jasper sighed. "If Ricardo doesn't, the Volturi eventually will. You can't continue forever, Maria. I'm sorry. Now leave."

It was a stalemate for the longest moment, and then Maria jerked her head toward the trees to signal her bodyguards to move. She followed them dejectedly, but before she disappeared, she looked over her shoulder at Jasper with longing eyes.

Once we were positive they were out of earshot, Jasper turned around to face us. "We have to leave immediately. She'll be back. She might have given in now, but she knows what she wants, and Maria doesn't give up that easily."

"You call that giving up easy?" I asked him in shock. "She all but knocked you out and dragged you away!"

Jasper didn't say anything about my comment. Instead, he told us what we'd have to do now. "We'll have to disguise our scents. Hide our tracks." He and Alice disappeared upstairs, and the sound of their packing followed.

"He wants us to leave within ten minutes," Edward informed us. "And that we only pack what's absolutely necessary. Only what we can carry with us."

Carlisle didn't have time to call the hospital or notify our landlord of our departure. Jasper said we'd have to make all those arrangements once we were safely hidden from Maria. If Jasper's urgency hadn't been so tangible, I would have made a joke about him fearing such a small woman as Maria. As it was, I knew he knew Maria better than anyone else, and if he thought there was reason to fear her, then I had to believe him.

Rosie and I started toward the garage, but Jasper stopped us and shook his head. "We have to leave the cars. Anythin' that Maria can track has to be left behind."

"But it's a six-cylinder Corvette!" Rosie exclaimed, distraught. "Do you have any idea how sought after they are?"

The car was her baby. She'd bought it only a few months ago, and while it functioned properly already, Rosalie wanted to see if she could make it go faster. She spent most of her time in the garage underneath the hood of the thing.

 **"** I'm sorry, Rose," Jasper apologized. **"** We can't take it with us."

I wrapped my arms around my despondent wife and soothed her to the best of my abilities. She was still sad when I let her go, but at least, we were on our way back across the border to America. Where we'd end up was still a mystery, but I had a feeling it would be a long journey.

 **{=DITM=}**

 **"** Do you really think she'll find us here?" Rosie asked three weeks later. **"** We covered our tracks pretty well."

We sure had. We'd zigzagged over the Canadian-American border, swum across several lakes, and even changed clothes to leave the jackets we'd worn in places to confuse whoever could have tracked us. Finally, we'd decided to stop in Millinocket, Maine. It wasn't the largest of cities, but we'd lived in smaller before.

Jasper hoped the large quantities of water close to the city would diffuse our scent further.

 **"** We can't underestimate her. It'll be our loss. We should come up with an offensive strategy. Next time, she'll have her entire army with her." Jasper was sitting across from Alice, who was concentrating on her visions, and he was frozen solid in place. He absolutely refused to move a single inch.

 **"** Why would she risk her entire army to get you back?" I asked. **"** She must understand she can't win over us as long as you're on our side."

 **"** Don't get arrogant, Emmett. I know what Maria's armies can do with much more experienced vampires than yourself," he warned and moved just enough to give me a hard look. He most likely thought I was being stupid, but he hadn't really listened to what I was saying.

"Yeah, when she had you to train them," I said, and Edward perked up.

"Right!" he agreed. "Her army will be as undisciplined as it was before she had you."

"I'm sure she's picked up a few new tricks in my absence," Jasper said, but he was much calmer now and actually allowed himself to relax a little bit. "She wasn't losing her wars before me. She always chose her soldiers with care, and she always had the upper hand in numbers. If she were to come here, we wouldn't stand a chance."

I rolled my eyes in exasperation. **"** Morbid much," I mumbled even though I could, sort of, understand his anxiety. In this case, it was Alice and him who were the most in danger. Had it been me and Rosie, I would, maybe, have acted similarly. But probably not.

 **"** Let us all hope it won't come to that," Carlisle said, always hoping to avoid a fight.

 **"** But if it did, how could we possibly win? None of us, apart from you, Jasper, have ever seen a real fight. I'm not even sure I _can_ fight," Esme admitted, but Jasper gave her a reassuring smile.

 **"** Everyone can fight, and I will, naturally, train you all myself. I've already taught Alice a few tricks, although she prefers to rely on her visions despite me warning her not to do so. You never know when you might stumble across a shield that renders your powers useless."

I shot up from my seat, eager to start the lessons right away. I hadn't had a proper teacher since Eleazar, and he had said himself that he wasn't a warrior. Jasper was. "I'm ready to go at it now."

An almost evil grin spread across Jasper's face. **"** It wouldn't be a game, Emmett. I wouldn't hold back."

 **"** I wouldn't want you to," I replied with a wink, but just as Jasper was about to rise to the bait, Alice came out of her vision and announced us to be safe from Maria. I felt the urge to cuss but refrained because both Esme and Rosie would reprimand me if I did.

Alice grabbed Jasper's hand to go upstairs to their room, but before they could become too enthralled with each other, I called out a reminder to Jasper.

 **"** I still want those lessons. I expect them now."

Jasper gave me a look over his shoulder. **"** I don't go back on my promises."

I nodded, pleased with the answer, and then turned to Rosie. Alice and Jasper's idea to take some time for themselves wasn't half-bad. **"** C'mon, babe, let's go hunting," I told her and took a hold of her hand. "I'm … _thirsty_ ," I said for the others benefit even though all of them knew I wasn't talking about blood.

As Edward groaned at my poor attempt at disguising my intent, I laughed.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Oh my, oh my, oh my! Maria!

Do you think Jasper handled her well? Do you think Emmett read Jasper's hesitancy correctly? What do you think of him going into protective brother mode?

Obviously, this scene will be analyzed even deeper in Jasper's story later on, but Emmett is a bystander so I clearly can't go into too much detail here.

Tell me, do you think this scene was as you imagined? Or have you imagined fighting? Snarling, growling, and biting? Have you imagined Jasper killing Maria at this meeting?

I am sorry to have disappointed you then. I just feel that with Jasper wanting to leave that violent life behind, while an instinct within him would scream to kill Maria and grab Alice to flee, he still wanted to make a statement to show he's left it all in the past.

And also, I believe Jasper said in Eclipse that Maria was still alive, but I could be wrong about that :-P

Anyway, on this 9-year-anniversary of mine, and until next week,

Stay Awesome

So many kisses and hugs your way!


	22. Chapter 21 August 8th 1969

**A/N:**

I almost forgot to give you this again! You're probably tired of hearing that, but Wednesdays has become the day of the week when I am just completely beat at the end of the day because I manage the store I'm working at completely alone for the entire day.

When I post Alice's story, it won't be on Wednesdays xD

 **Title:** Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

 **Author:** MarieCarro

 **Beta:** Alice's White Rabbit

 **Pre-reader:** BitterHarpy

 **Genre:** Family/Supernatural

 **Rating:** NC-17

 **Summary:** Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 21**

 **FRIDAY, AUGUST 8** **th** **1969**

 _They listened for three days, and today, they sounded for retreat and headed home. The sponsors said it was going to be three days of peace and music. It was that all right and much more. Estimates of the crowd ranged up to more than 300,000 and it was that size that caused most of the trouble._

 _That and the rainstorms that turned the dairy meadow into a mud farm. The big problem was that no one,_ no one _, had even the slightest notion that they would come in such numbers._

 _Today, weary but still light at heart, they huddled their masses and set out for home. And they headed in every direction._

 _As one official pointed out, with 300,000 people, you are not just dealing with a crowd but virtually a city. And as a city, it had city problems. One youngster died of a suspected overdose of heroin, eighty others were arrested on drug charges, another boy was killed when the driver of a tractor failed to see him inside a sleeping bag._

 _One of the promoters says he wouldn't try this again unless he could rent the Grand Canyon. He may have to. Already, there are threats of lawsuits from local business people who called it a disgrace. The kids said it was just great._

 _And so it's all over except for the massive clean-up job that remains. The Woodstock Music and Art Fair having done its thing quietly folds its tent and steals away. 'Til another day._

 _Richard O'Brien, CBS news, White Lake New York_

I turned away from the TV with a grin. "I think it sounded like a cool event. Wish I'd been there."

"The unnecessary deaths of youths isn't a laughing matter, Emmett," Carlisle said without taking his eyes off the screen as he continued to listen to the rest of the broadcast.

"Yeah, because that was what I was talking about," I retorted, somewhat put out with his immediate berating of me. "I meant the music and the art."

Edward scoffed. "That's not music. That's just noise."

"Some prefer to evolve with the times, Ed." Jasper started to grin behind Edward's back, and it spurred me on. "There are other genres out there besides classical, you know."

"I don't _just_ listen to classical," Edward defended himself heatedly. He was so sensitive when it came to music; it was downright ridiculous. "It's not my fault the people of today have no respect for the real art of composing."

I waved him away, unwittingly feeding into his ire. "Composing-schmosing. It's about the feelings in your heart, man," I said, quoting one of the youngsters interviewed in the broadcast and hitting myself with an open palm over the place where my heart used to beat. "It's all about the love." The guy's eyes had been heavy and his pronunciation had been slurry, so my guess was he'd either been drunk or high off his rails.

Edward rolled his eyes in annoyance and didn't comment. He knew I would turn whatever he said against him because that was what I did. He was easy to mess with, and while I joked around with everyone, he was the one who frequently got angry about it, so naturally, he became my go-to target.

Jasper was another matter altogether, and I often thought Edward needed to take a page out of his book if he wanted me to back off. Jasper's strategy meant he'd give back what he got, but it would often be ten times worse. And he had Alice on his side, so she could give him the intel on whether his jokes would work or if they'd backfire on him.

Personally, I saw that as cheating because I managed all of my jokes on my own as Rosie wasn't interested in participating, and I didn't nag her about it. I had tried to pull one on Alice once, but it didn't go well for me at all because, somehow, I ended up being the one covered in wet dirt and leaves smelling like ammonia.

As we were now gathered in the sitting room watching the broadcast, as we did at least once a week to keep up with what was happening out in the world and stay in tune with the times, a strange notion entered my head.

"Do you think it's possible for us to smoke that stuff and feel the effects?" I asked, and for a second, it got so quiet it was almost as if the TV was also holding its breath, and they were all staring at me. "What? I'm just curious."

Carlisle tried to hide a small smile and looked back at the TV as he answered. "I'm afraid it would do nothing to us, Emmett. The chemicals in drugs use the bloodstream to reach the brain, same with alcohol, and since we don't have that sort of flow in our bodies anymore, it's impossible."

"Thank heavens for that," Edward muttered. Obviously, the man was in a sour mood. "You're a pain normally. I don't even want to know what you'd be like with impaired senses."

"What crawled up your ass this morning?" I said and threw an eraser from the table at him even though I already knew he'd catch it.

"Emmett, please, don't use that sort of language," Esme chastened tiredly. She often had to tell me off when I said things she didn't like, but the truth was that I didn't understand why she took such offense to my use of the crude words. They got my point across.

Still, I always apologized to her because Esme deserved that respect. "Sorry, Esme, but seriously. Why are you in such a bad mood today, Ed? You're worse than usual."

"Because you're always such a bag of sunshine?" he threw back, and I sighed in despondence. He was too far gone to reason with.

"I don't want to handle this today." I stood up from my seat. "I'm heading into town for a few errands. Anyone want to come with me who _isn't_ a Gloomy Gus?"

"I'll go with you!" Alice said enthusiastically. "I have a few things I need to fix myself."

Alice and I drove into town, mostly in silence, which should have been a clear sign to me that she had an ulterior motive for wanting to come along. Had she truly had the intention of running her own errands, she would have chatted my ear off about it the minute we got into the car.

"Don't be too angry with him. He can't always help it."

I'd been deep in my own thoughts, and it took me a second to understand she was talking about Edward. "I'm not allowed to be angry at the golden boy now? Why do we always have to be lenient with him?"

"Why do you think Carlisle, Jasper, and I give him the least amount of grief for how he is?" Alice asked me instead of answering my questions.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Carlisle's known him the longest, and you and Jasper have gifts like him, so I guess you _'understand'_ each other." I mockingly put emphasis on 'understand'.

"You're wrong."

"Yeah, apparently I'm wrong more often than not." I huffed and was a little bit surprised I was this upset about a little fall-out with Edward. I wasn't usually a person who held on to my anger for a long time unless I felt the target for my anger had warranted it—such as wronged someone who meant everything to me. I could take wrongdoings toward myself better than I could take the same act toward someone I cared for.

Edward had done no such thing. He'd only been the same sort of grim he was from time to time. Nothing new.

"Don't do that. You're not always wrong. Far from it. You have a different way of thinking than the rest of us, and there's nothing bad about that." I was impressed Alice was so very calm during this conversation. I knew she was capable of being serious, but most often, her excitement got the better of her, so at times when she was more solemn, it felt just a tiny bit unsettling. "I'm just saying, in this instance, when it comes to Edward, you are wrong. Carlisle, Jasper, and I give him allowance because we understand how he feels most of the time."

"And the rest of us don't?" I questioned.

"No, you don't," she replied without even a hint of hesitance. "You, Rose, and Esme have never been alone like he's been. At least, not for as long."

"Alone how?"

"Carlisle lived without Esme for more than two hundred years. Jasper thought he had Maria, but it never felt right until he and I met after eighty-five years, and I waited for him for twenty-eight. But you have always had Rose, and she was without you for a minimal amount of time. Esme felt a hint of the loneliness because she met Carlisle and was then separated from him, but she was still human. She's had him by her side her entire vampire life."

"You mean this is about him not having a mate?" It sounded rather incredulous to me. Lots of vampires didn't have mates. Most of them were nomads and traveled alone. Our coven was rather abnormal in that sense.

"Not exclusively," she said, clearly understanding why I couldn't fully agree with her. "Edward's melancholy was already a part of him before the change. Like Rose, he'd made his peace with death, and then it never happened. But he and Carlisle are kindred spirits, and the two of them could have continued together for centuries without feeling alone."

I was about to say that was my point, but Alice wasn't done.

"Then Esme joined and everything changed. With each addition to our family, Edward has gotten more and more alone. If there had been just one more in our coven who was unmated, I'm certain he would have been fine, but he's constantly surrounded by couples only," she explained. "It's bound to have an effect on him. Jasper says he often feels left out, especially at night. He'd never admit this, though, not even to himself."

"Fine then," I acquiesced. "But why are you telling me this? Ed and I have had our differences before, and nothing terrible has come out of it." I glanced at her sideways as I suspected this was more than just our newest sibling acting as a mediator. "Did you see something?"

She instantly nodded. "Yes. I saw you two in an explosive argument, and then I saw him wandering alone. Sometimes, they end with him hunting humans again."

Her words caused me confusion. "Why would he start hunting humans again because of a small, insignificant fight?"

"It's not just because of this one fight. It's everything that has built up over the years, culminating in him leaving because a part of him, according to Jasper, believes he's a burden to us."

I groaned. "Oh man, seriously? Why does he have to think like that?" At the end of the day, I saw Edward as my brother, and thus, we fought and got on each other's nerves. That was the dynamic of our relationship. I didn't like hearing that he felt so down he put everything on his own shoulders. That wasn't right. "Does this mean I have to stop yanking his chain?"

Alice let out a soft laugh. "No, not at all. In fact, I think you need to continue teasing him as often as you can because, when you do, it might annoy him, but it still makes him feel more included."

"I don't know," I said and took a deep breath as I pretended to think hard on it. "It seems like an impossible challenge." Complete lie, naturally. I had already concocted several tricks I could pull on him this very afternoon.

"Thank you, Em," Alice said and leaned her head on my shoulder, clearly already having seen the outcome.

"The things I do for this family," I said dramatically, as if her request had been a huge self-sacrifice. Then I went back to being at least a little bit more serious. "So was this the only reason you wanted to come with me today?"

A little smirk grazed the little imp's lips. "Not at all. I'm going to help you find a nice gift for Rose that'll get you out of the doghouse."

"I'm not in the doghouse," I told her, but I felt dread spreading through me.

"Not yet."

My stomach dropped at her implication. "What will I do to make her put me there?" Nothing was more unpleasant for me than when Rosie got mad because it made me feel like the worst husband in the world. It didn't matter that I knew she always, eventually, forgave me. In those moments, she could get me to grovel because if she thought I'd done something wrong, I'd be damned if I didn't do everything I could to make it up to her.

She laughed evilly. "Sorry, you'll have to figure that one out yourself."

"Oh, c'mon!" I actually whined. "That is not cool."

She shrugged, unswayed. "My lips are sealed." And they truly were. She didn't drop a single hint as she helped me pick out the gift she'd seen me give, and when we came back home, everyone got a laugh out of seeing me walk around the house as if on eggshells.

My previous argument with Edward was pretty much forgotten, and I started to wonder if that had been Alice's intention all along. Still, I kept the gift in my pocket. Just in the case.

* * *

 **A/N:**

My beta, the lovely Alice's White Rabbit, and I had a little discussion about this chapter. Mainly about vampires ability to get high. Well, through medical research, I found it would most likely be impossible, but I still had to include the thought somehow, and what better way than for Emmett to ask if it would work? ;-)

I am running out of things to write in Emmett's story, and we are rapidly closing in on the point where Twilight takes place! If you have any suggestions or wishes of things you want Emmett to do in the 80s, 90s, or even the early 2000s before they move to Forks, go ahead and give me your worst because I welcome all ideas :-D

Until Next Week,

Stay Awesome!


	23. Chapter 22 Jul 25th 1970 - May 25th 1977

**A/N:**

Hi y'all! I just wanted to let you all know that there will be more and larger time jumps in this story now because there aren't many chapters left at all. 3 at the most.

I loved hearing about all your ideas of what you want Emmett to get into now, and I hope that what I chose to include will satisfy ;-)

 **Title:** Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

 **Author:** MarieCarro

 **Beta:** Alice's White Rabbit

 **Pre-reader:** BitterHarpy

 **Genre:** Family/Supernatural

 **Rating:** NC-17

 **Summary:** Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 22**

 **SATURDAY, JULY 25** **th** **1970** – **WEDNESDAY, MAY 25** **th** **1977**

"I have the papers," Jasper announced as he came through the front door. "I've already finished them."

"Well, I certainly hope you didn't make me look fat," I said with a high-pitched voice as he offered me an envelope holding a brand new birth certificate, passport, driver's license, and school records.

A couple of months prior, Jasper had suggested we hire a lawyer to start making forged papers for us as they would look more legit than what any of us would have been able to do. When Carlisle had opposed because he was reluctant toward bringing an outsider in on our secret, Jasper explained he would be the only one to personally meet with the lawyer and finish the papers himself. That way, while our names would be known, our faces wouldn't.

"Hey, why didn't I get straight A's like Edward?" I complained loudly and waved the offending paper around.

Jasper laughed. "Let's just say, you don't look the type."

I scowled at him. "I take offense to that. I am more than just a pretty face, you know. I'd like to be appreciated for my brains as well."

"You'll have to wait a long time then."

I gasped and put a hand on my chest. "You're a mean old geezer."

"Is that the best you got?" Jasper asked, his smile widening. "Wow, Emmett, you need to polish up on your insults."

"Are you giving me an invite?" I straightened my back and crossed my arms in anticipation, just waiting for him to take the bait. However, before he could even open his mouth to respond, Esme stepped in.

"Boys, please. I've got your real school records, Emmett." She handed me a new paper, this one with straight A's like the others, and took the apparently fake one Jasper had given me and crumpled it up in her hands. "It would be nice if we could maintain the peace for a little while in this house."

I threw my arms around her and swung her around until she lightened up and laughed. "Oh, Esme, haven't you realized by now that it's a lost cause?" I put her back down on her feet, and she gave me a pat on the cheek.

"I'll never stop trying. What kind of mother would I be if I can't get my children to behave?"

"The best kind," I said and leaned down to plant a sloppy kiss on her cheek. It caused her to laugh again, and Carlisle's lips twitched into a smile of his own. He always appreciated it when I made Esme laugh.

"Did Mr. Stephens act suspicious in any way?" he asked Jasper solemnly, but his smile was still in place.

Jasper shook his head. "He was nervous, but it was hard to say if it was because of my presence or because he's still establishing his new side business."

Carlisle turned to him, his eyes now wary. "Are you certain we can trust him? If he's new into the life of crime, he might turn nose at any moment." The paper in his hands was his newly forged medical license and diploma from Stanford. It was understandable he felt anxious.

"I doubt it," Jasper reassured him with a small smile. "Besides the fact that Alice saw everything go smoothly, Hugh Stephens is more afraid of me than the law."

"Oh, man! What did you do to him?" I asked in excitement.

"I hope you didn't hurt him," Esme reprimanded but did so rather lightheartedly. She knew Jasper wouldn't do that. We all did. Jasper's past didn't matter to us, and all of us trusted him implicitly.

"Of course, I didn't," Jasper said, but his smirk was still in place. "I didn't do anything he could detect. I simply gave him an extra dose of fear to amplify what he was already feeling. He doesn't know why he fears me, but he does, and he was very compliant after that."

"Did he pee himself?"

Edward grimaced. "Emmett, that's disgusting."

"What? It's a legitimate question!" I defended myself. "It's scientifically proven that under stressful situations, the inhibitory signals from the frontal lobe can be overridden by the limbic system, and when humans get anxious, electrical signals from the limbic system can become so intense that the brainstem has trouble following the frontal lobe's commands."

"When did you become such an expert on the human brain?" Edward asked, somewhat taken aback by my knowledge.

I winked at him. "You're not the only brainiac in the family, little brother." Even though the entire family had never, except for the occasional joke, questioned my intelligence, they all gave me a look that said they waited for me to tell them the truth since I had never studied medicine or human anatomy. I sighed. "Fine. I saw the entry about the phenomena in Edward's books while he studied."

"True as it might be, it's not of any interest whether Mr. Stephens urinated himself or not," Carlisle said, much more calm now that Jasper had properly assured him.

"Speak for yourself," I mumbled, and Rosie hid her smile behind her hand. At least, my wife thought I was funny, and as long as that was the case, I was more than happy.

 **{=DITM=}**

"Tell me again why we're going all the way to San Francisco to watch a movie nobody cares about?" Rosie turned her head over her shoulder to look at Alice in the backseat.

"Because San Francisco has one of the few theaters in the country with the correct sound system needed to fully appreciate it," Alice replied with a wide smile.

"That doesn't answer my question," Rosie shot back and turned around to face the front again. "Why are we going to watch a movie expected to fail with the public? Isn't that a huge waste of time?"

"Not at all because it won't be a fail with the public, and this will be one of the few chances we get to see it without having to hustle with an excited crowd of hundreds of humans," she said confidently. "In two days, this movie will have blown up and will eventually go on and win several Academy Awards."

"Really?" Rosie clearly didn't want to believe her. "A movie about a war in space? What's this craze about space anyway? The humans don't even know a fraction of the world they're already living in, and they want to explore outside of it."

"It's only been eight years since Neil Armstrong landed on the moon, babe," I said, hoping to get her to understand why that was a really cool thing. "Back in our time, we barely dared to dream of leaving our hometown, and now humans are flying to the moon. Don't you think that's just a little bit awesome?"

"We didn't even have cars in my time," Jasper pointed out next to Alice. "Just imagine if humans had never invented the automobile. You wouldn't have been able to tinker on that Lamborghini of yours."

Rosie crossed her arms. "What does it matter if the world evolves around us when we're not evolving with it?"

I held in my sigh when I realized my angel was having one of her low-spirited days, and I knew from experience there wasn't much that could be done when she was like that. All I could do was be there and show support and allow her to vent her frustrations.

Alice and I exchanged a look in the rearview mirror, and I noticed how she glanced sideways at Edward on her other side. He was sitting quietly, looking out the window, and I had a feeling he agreed with Rosie.

When he heard my thoughts, he barely reacted, so I assumed I was correct.

"We're witnessing history in the making," Jasper tried, hoping to lift Rosie's mood. "That's got to count for something, right?"

The only answer she gave him was a roll of her eyes, and I immediately jumped in between by grabbing her hand in mine and kissing her knuckles. She always felt better after I reassured her I was fine with her mood swings.

We arrived outside the theater in San Francisco just a few minutes before the movie was about to start because the sun was still out, and we needed to move fast and not have to linger outside for too long. The large billboard had the title on it in bold, black letters, and the ticket salesman in the booth looked bored at having to work on a Wednesday night to sell tickets to a movie nobody wanted to see.

"Why do you think it's called _Star Wars_ and not Space Wars?" I asked as we entered the lobby with our tickets in hand. "I mean, I think Space Wars sounds more encompassing."

Alice laughed. "You'll have to ask the writer about that, I think. I'm certain he's got a very logical thought behind the title."

We took our seats in the nearly empty theater and waited for the movie to start, and when it did, none of us with our enhanced hearing could have anticipated the surrounding sound of the music score and special effects of the light sabers and laser guns.

I, personally, thought the movie was beyond awesome, and I could fully understand why it was bound to become a success. I had never seen anything like it in my entire life, and that was saying something, being a sixty-two-year-old vampire and all.

After the show, I jumped around and made light saber sounds with my mouth and pretended to fight with an invisible enemy. While Edward sometimes played with me, he didn't like doing it in public, so he calmly walked next to me as I goofed off.

This, of course, made me target him as the Sith Lord I had to take down. "Ah, Darth Glass-Nut! We meet again at last." I pointed at him with my imaginary sword.

He tried to hit my arm away from him. "Stop it, Emmett. Before you expose us."

"Nay, nothing can stop me from defending the Force from the likes of you." I ran ahead to the car but only as fast as a human would have been able to, and then carefully climbed on top of the roof to not dent it. "You won't take this ship!"

Rosie stood and watched me with an amused smile and her arms crossed, but she didn't tell me to stop. Jasper and Alice laughed at me, so it was only Edward left, but he was a hard nut to crack.

"Jump off it! You'll scratch the paint," he complained even though it wasn't his car.

I placed two fingers against my temple and closed my eyes as if I was preparing to use the force. _"C'mon, play along for just a second, Ed, and I'll stop. I swear!"_ I thought, and he sighed.

"Fine," he grumbled and looked around the parking lot for something to use. He spotted a discarded plank and discreetly broke it down the middle to create two long wooden rods. He threw one of them to me. "Jedi Guardian, you don't stand a chance against me! I am a master."

Inwardly, I cheered loudly. Edward and I circled each other as the others cheered us on, and occasionally, we took a jab with the sticks in our hands. When one of them splintered, both of us surrendered, and I contentedly ducked into the car's driver seat to take us back home.

* * *

 **A/N:**

When Carlisle says: "If he's new into the life of crime, he might turn nose at any moment." **_Turn nose_** meant to give evidence or inform and is a term from circa 1809. **Nose** on its own is a 1789 word for a snitch.

I have the link to the Merriam-Webster page for those who are interested!

Confession time: I didn't see Star Wars until 2016, but after I did, I became a huge fan, and so this little tidbit in the end was just a given for me to include, and I got to write about two people fighting with light sabers, so I'm happy!

I'll see you next week!

Until then,

Stay Awesome!


	24. Chapter 23 Oct 31st 1980 - Jan 1st 1990

**A/N:**

I am so sorry I forgot to post this yesterday! It was a public holiday here in Sweden so it didn't feel like Wednesday, and I didn't remember until I was already in bed about to go to sleep.

 **Title:** Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

 **Author:** MarieCarro

 **Beta:** Alice's White Rabbit

 **Pre-reader:** BitterHarpy

 **Genre:** Family/Supernatural

 **Rating:** NC-17

 **Summary:** Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 23**

 **FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31** **st** **1980 - MONDAY, JANUARY 1** **st** **1990**

"Yo, Jasper!" I called out as I entered through the front door. I didn't care it was highly unnecessary to yell. I knew Rosie sometimes appreciated me doing so because she said it was very human of me to do it.

Jasper calmly walked out on the landing of the stairs. "What're you so excited about?"

"Did you hear about that new arcade game they've got down at The Crown? It's this new thing from Japan called Pac-Man. It's supposed to be really cool."

Alice came walking up behind Jasper, and he looked down at her. "The Crown? Emmett, you know that place is for kids, right? Besides, I can't go. Alice and I have plans."

"But it's Halloween," I insisted. "Anyone under twenty-one isn't allowed at The Crown tonight." I gave Alice a pleading look, hoping she'd let their plans go so Jasper could go with me. "C'mon, man, I really want to check it out."

He vehemently shook his head. "Sorry. I promised Alice, and you know I don't break promises. Ask Edward to go with you, or Rosalie."

"I'd rather tear off my own arm than go to the arcade and watch barely legal adults get intoxicated while playing childish games," Edward replied from his room, and I rolled my eyes at his dullness. "I heard that," he commented.

"Obviously, since I didn't hide the thought from you," I returned, and he shut up after that. I knew Rosie was in the garage, and I didn't want to ask her from the hall, so I dejectedly directed my steps there. When I spotted her denim-clad legs sticking out from under the car, I bent down to look at her. "Babe, you want to go to the arcade with me?"

"Not really," she said honestly. "Why do you want to go?"

"There's a new game out that I wanted to try, but no one wants to go with me."

She stopped working and slid herself out. She reached out her hand, and I grabbed it to help her up. For a long moment, she looked at me, and then she smiled. "Tell you what. I'll go to the arcade with you, but on Monday, you have to come with me to school and help me out with something."

I hesitated because Rosie was studying astrophysics at Michigan State University—she had gained more interest of space and the universe after we saw Star Wars, ironically enough—and not only was the drive there almost two hours, even with my angel at the wheel, but I pretty much wanted to choke every male specimen at that place for unabashedly ogling my wife. "What?"

"There's this little jackass in my math lecture who is the worst misogynist." She grimaced as she thought of him. "He doesn't think women belong in higher education, but at the same time, he hits on anything with breasts."

"So twist his arm and chase him off," I said, confused as to why she was asking for my help. My angel wasn't unfamiliar with unwanted attention, and she preferred handling the situations herself, as she wanted to teach the little snots that they should respect women and not just leave her alone because of my apparent body mass and height. She detested that so many men only backed off from girls if they said they had a boyfriend because a non-present male deserved their respect more than the girl who rejected them.

"I've already done that for myself, and he won't come near me now, but it's not about me this time." She sighed. "A freshman girl, her name's Meghan, has tried over and over to get him to back off, but he's relentless. I've been hoping she'd someday slap him, but she doesn't seem like that kind of girl, and I overheard the slimy cockroach bragging to his friends how he'd bang her first chance he got." She wrapped her arms around herself and appeared so small and vulnerable I just had to hug her tightly. "I think he'll attempt something soon, and I really don't want anything to happen to her."

I nodded. It was completely understandable where she was coming from, and I would definitely help her with whatever she wanted me to do. Even after almost fifty years, I would always be the one to help her with her darkest demons. "What do you want me to do? Scare him? Threaten him?"

"No because if it's you he fears, he'll go back to his disgusting behavior the minute you're gone. I want you to pretend the girl's your little sister and that you're there visiting us both. Then, even when you're not there, the worm will know Meghan is under my protection and off limits."

"But won't that mean he'll just jump onto the next girl on his list?" I asked. Her plan was good, but the holes in it needed to be filled.

She smiled evilly. "I'll take care of that part on my own. I'll make sure he knows that if he so much as breathes in a girl's direction, I'll make him a eunuch."

 **{=DITM=}**

 _Thanksgiving 1_ _986_

"There is no way the Lions will win this game," I said confidently without taking my eyes off the TV screen. "Packers all the way." I gave my brothers a taunting smile. "Who wants to bet against me?"

"Just last year, you swore the Lions were the best," Jasper pointed out and laughed. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

I grinned at him. "You gotta cheer for the team where you live, right?"

"The Lions are from Detroit," Edward annoyingly reminded us. "That's on the other side of the state where we lived, and we're not in Wisconsin right now so what makes the Packers best?" He narrowed his eyes at me. "What are you hiding? I know you're blocking me."

Both of them stared at me, but I tried to play it off. "What's with the third degree? Can't a guy change which team he cheers for without all the drama?"

They didn't relent.

"Fine! Alice told me the Packers will win by four points," I admitted sourly at having been caught.

"So you thought you'd try to con a telepath _and_ an empath?" Edward asked and shook his head, but he was smiling widely. "I have to say, Emmett, I am disappointed. You're losing your touch."

"Am not!" I exclaimed, truly distraught over his suggestion, but then I smiled again. "This was just a test. I need to see what signals you guys pick up on."

"Unless you learn to become a real statue of stone, your feelin's will always betray you, man." Jasper got up from the couch and hit me playfully on my shoulder, but it was hard enough for me to have to shift my balance. "You wear them on your sleeve. Most of the time, I don't even really need to read you to know what you're feelin'."

"Yeah, whatever," I said and dropped the subject before leaning back to watch the game, but then Esme and Carlisle came in with the girls in tow, and she shut off the TV. "I was watching that," I complained.

"But you already know how it will end."

"Just because I know how it ends doesn't mean I don't want to watch the rest of it."

"You'll see thousands of other games in your lifetime, Emmett. I want us all to do something today, so do you mind?"

I did mind, but Esme rarely asked for something, so I gave in. "Okay then," I agreed and stood up.

"What is it you want us to do?" Jasper asked her.

She smiled sweetly at all of us. "I know we don't celebrate Thanksgiving in this family—"

"Yeah because our supreme leader is a Brit," I commented and grinned at Carlisle, and he smiled back at me.

"Depends on how you look at it," he answered. "I've been an American citizen longer than I ever lived in England, and, if you want to get even more technical, Thanksgiving was something started by British settlers. Even further—"

"Carlisle, I love you, but I was sort of saying something," Esme interrupted pleadingly.

Carlisle immediately kissed her forehead and apologized. "Sorry, dear. Continue."

"As I said, we don't celebrate Thanksgiving, but I believe, even though we happen to be a family of immortal vampires, we should take some time and think about what we are thankful for. It has been such an … _eventful_ year with too many disasters and lives lost. I'd like to honor those who can no longer do this with their families."

"That's a really sweet thought, dear," Carlisle said and looked upon her with pride.

"I love it!" Alice said excitedly. "I think we should make it into our own tradition. Maybe not something we do annually, but at least once a decade. It will remind us of those aspects in life where we've been very fortunate."

"You mean aside from the fact that we can't live normal lives, _ever_ ," Rosie commented, and I put my arm around her shoulder and squeezed. Both in support, but also to tell her to not bring the mood down for the rest of them. There were times when I needed to remind her that she couldn't always take out her frustrations on our family because, unlike me, they hadn't promised to put up with her mood swings for the rest of eternity, and while I doubted they'd ever want to break up our little coven, everyone had their limit.

"Okay, I'll start," Esme said and then looked at each one of us. "I am thankful for the relationships we've built over the years, both romantic and familial, and the love we have for one another."

She turned to Carlisle, smiling, and he let out an incredulous little gust of breath and then he also smiled. "I am thankful my path finally led me to all of you. I honestly don't know where I'd be without you."

"I am thankful for Alice," Jasper took over. "I'd either still be wanderin' or back with Maria had it not been for her."

She hooked her arm around his and leaned her head against him for a second before she spoke up. "I'm thankful for my visions. They can be a real pain, but they made my first couple of years a lot easier."

Edward thought for a moment longer than the others, but then he said softly, "I'm thankful for music." He didn't elaborate further, and none of us asked him to. Instead, we moved on to Rosalie, and she sighed harshly, clearly not in the mood to participate.

"If I have to … I guess I'm thankful for Emmett. At least, this existence is bearable with him."

I tightened my arm over her shoulders again. "Love you, too, babe." I kissed the top of her hair and ignored her lighthearted complaints of me ruining the volume. "My turn. All right, I'm thankful for the awesomeness that is this family, and I'm also very thankful for Rose's flexib—"

"Emmett, why'd you have to ruin it?"

 **{=DITM=}**

 _5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1 … HAPPY NEW YEAR!_

I twirled Rosie around, and she let out one of her rare, angelic laughs. "That's five, babe. Are you up for another one?" I asked her over the roar of the crowd. We had decided to celebrate the new year, and the start of the new decade, on our own by chasing the clock. We'd started in Australia and were now on a beach in Spain.

She grabbed my hand and pulled me until we were in the shadows of the trees and far from where the humans could see us. "We could continue back to America, or ..." Her tone was suggestive, and I was intrigued.

"Or?"

She pulled me toward her mouth, and she whispered against my lips. "Or we could celebrate the start of the 90s with a little more _privacy_."

The rumbling growl that escaped me was unstoppable, and it soon became clear I wasn't the only one who acted like an animal in the next couple of hours.

* * *

 **A/N:**

A few tidbits for you who remember the 80s vividly here! I was very tempted to write that Emmett was the first to beat the Pac-Man Game and not Billy Mitchell in 1999, but in the end, that idea didn't make the cut :-P

Not many chapters left of this piece. 2 more and then an epilogue, and I am so excited to see what you'll think of the ending already, but I'm not going to rush it! You still have at least 2 weeks before I pressing complete :-D

Until Next Week,

Stay Awesome!


	25. Chapter 24 Feb 7th 1995 - Nov 17th 1998

**A/N:**

After this chapter, there is only 1 more and then the epilogue, so I just wanted to tell you now how much I have appreciated your support and your love for this story, and of course, my interpretation of Emmett :-D

I will, naturally, give you a much sappier AN at the end of the epilogue, but I'm starting to feel the end now, so I just wanted to let you know!

 **Title:** Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

 **Author:** MarieCarro

 **Beta:** Alice's White Rabbit

 **Pre-reader:** BitterHarpy

 **Genre:** Family/Supernatural

 **Rating:** NC-17

 **Summary:** Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 24**

 **TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7** **th** **1995**

"Good day, boys," the clerk in the jewelry store welcomed Jasper and I warmly. "Are you perhaps looking for Valentine's Day gifts for your girlfriends?"

I grinned at him. "You got that right, and we're here to spend a lot of money, so show us the best you got."

The clerk gave me a strange look as he appraised us up and down and the clothes we were wearing. Once he was satisfied our clothes appeared expensive enough for me to be telling the truth, he gestured for us to come closer. "What's your price range, gentlemen?"

Holding in my laughter wasn't easy when the clerk went from calling us "boys" to "gentlemen" in a matter of seconds. Money really could get you pretty much anything, and since Alice joined our family, our assets had grown to proportions too large for our family to spend.

That meant on celebrated capitalistic days such as Valentine's Day, we men really enjoyed spoiling our women with ridiculously expensive shit—the kind of stuff normal people wouldn't dare to ever take out of the box or their personal safe.

We gave a whole hell of a lot to charity too, so we didn't feel bad about spending the money either.

Jasper gave the clerk an intense look. "What's the most expensive piece in the store?"

The clerk swallowed hard, and his mouth twitched. I didn't even need Edward's talent to know what the man was thinking in that moment. He clearly wasn't certain whether to believe we were pranking him or not, and since we'd specifically chosen a jewelry store where we knew the employees worked on commission, he was a little scared to get his hopes up.

Another thing we did whenever we went out to buy something, and we knew it would be really pricey, we researched places and then chose the employee who really deserved the heavy commission. Like the clerk. We knew he had a wife with a kidney disorder, and she desperately needed a transplant surgery, but their insurance didn't cover it, so they were unable to even get her on a waiting list.

"We have a necklace for forty thousand," he replied, and the fact that his voice didn't shake showed how professional he was. I liked that. He didn't appear to be a greedy man.

"I'd like to see it," Jasper said calmly, and I agreed with him.

Once again, the clerk looked us over, and then with a small nod, he gestured for us to follow him over to a glass case displaying a couple of jewelry sets with pearl details. He didn't take them out of the case, which I didn't blame him for. He couldn't know for sure yet that we weren't out to steal.

"Twenty-carat diamonds and white South Sea pearls—very rare on the market. The drop necklace goes for $44,400."

Jasper leaned forward as if he needed to take a closer look, and then hummed in contemplation. We already knew we would buy it, but we didn't want to seem insincere by acting too eager. "Mom would really like it," he said for the clerk's benefit.

"Are you kidding? She'd love it. We should buy it and tell Dad to give it to her next week. She'd be over the moon," I said, playing along.

"How about the two next to it. I like the one with the single pearl."

"Yes, that's a platinum chain with a single golden South Sea pearl. The asking price is $40,200."

"And the diamond necklace?"

"Eighteen carats. Pavement setting and pear-shaped pendant. $40,300."

Jasper and I exchanged a look, smiled, and then turned back to the clerk.

"We'll take all three."

 **{=DITM=}**

 **MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16** **th** **1998**

"Emmett, if I had news about your human family, you'd like to know, right?" Alice tentatively asked from the doorway to Rosalie's and my new room. We'd just moved back to Alaska to spend some time with our friends in Denali as well as introduce them to Alice and Jasper.

I was unpacking a few boxes when Alice came to find me, and I was completely taken by surprise by her question.

"My human family?" My heart clenched when I thought of them because I realized I'd barely lent them a thought in the sixty-odd years that had passed. I was certain they'd gotten through their perils after I left them that bag of money, and I'd told myself it was better for me not to look back.

Mom and Dad were most definitely dead by now, but I wasn't so sure about my siblings. Gavin and Ian would be really old, and Bea would be closer to eighty, and so whatever news Alice had, I doubted it would be good.

"Depends on the news, I guess," I said cautiously. "Is it something I would want to know, or something I could live without knowing?"

She gave me half a shrug. "Naturally, you could live without knowing it, but I thought it would be fun for you."

Her words helped me relax because something that would be fun for me obviously meant good news. "Okay, so who is it about?"

She pulled out a newspaper from behind her back and handed it to me, already folded at the right place. The image depicted an old woman with white hair neatly styled, and she was holding a small little baby. Next to her, a woman was crouching with one hand on the elder woman's shoulder, and the other touching the baby's cheek.

The image's caption was what made me laugh with both elation and a hint of annoyance. _"Beatrice L. Jones, former Mayor of Gatlinburg City, with daughter, Emmy, and granddaughter, Fiona."_

"Well, I'll be damned. Mayor, huh?" I met Alice's eyes, and she smiled widely at me.

"Yeah, and the first female one in Gatlinburg, at that!"

"Really? And she's a grandmother now, too."

"Your grandniece," Alice pointed out. "They gave her a beautiful name, don't you think? Doesn't it mean 'Fair' in Gaelic?"

I snorted. "I have no idea. I never learned the language, but Mama's name was Fiona, so they most likely named the baby after her."

"That's nice."

"It really is." I nodded. "It feels good knowing the money I left made a real difference."

"It did more than just make a difference," Alice said, and her expression was so serious it caused me to question it. "It saved their lives."

"How do you know?"

"I saw it." She gave me a somewhat sheepish smile when I frowned in question. "I told you I saw all of you before Jasper and I joined the family."

"Yeah, but I didn't know you looked that closely."

"I didn't," she promised. "But it was a big decision on your part, and while you contemplated it, I saw both outcomes. If you hadn't left that money, it would have started a chain of events that would have caused your family to first have their house taken away. They'd have to live in shelters and on the streets. Eventually … well ..." she trailed off, and I appreciated it. I didn't want to know the gory details despite the fact the vision quite clearly hadn't been realized.

She quickly changed the subject. "I also have it on good authority that Beatrice named her daughter after you."

"Shut up, you little imp, or you'll make me cry," I said with an exaggerated grimace, and Alice giggled as she wound her arms around my waist. "Thank you for this."

"You're welcome."

"I can't believe the little slick went and married my kid sister," I mumbled to myself as I once again stared at Bea's married last name, and Alice gave me a weird look.

"Who?"

I guffawed at her expression and explained what I meant. "My old friend Jonathan Jones, but we always called him Jack. He was this somewhat stuck-up and solemn type I went to school with at first and later worked with. I had no idea he fancied my sister."

"And you're sure it's him?"

"Well, no, but it wouldn't surprise me, and I can't really see anyone else in the city wanting to marry Bea, so it must be him."

Alice took a step back from me and crossed her arms, her eyes narrowed. "I don't think I've ever been this confused in my life. Are you saying your sister was ugly or something? Why wouldn't anyone but this 'Jack' want to marry her?"

I realized I needed to further explain what I meant, but I didn't blame Alice. She didn't remember her human life, so she had no idea whether her family or even the town she used to live in had the same prejudices against Irish people like Gatlinburg used to have. "Bea was one of the most beautiful girls in Gatlinburg, but she's half-Irish, and my family was quite outcast because of that. Jack was one of the very few who didn't care. That's why I'm almost certain it's him."

"Does that make you mad?"

"Not really," I said with complete honesty and a smile. "I just can't see it in my head. Jack and Bea as a couple, I mean."

I looked at the image caption one last time and felt the pride in me swell into obnoxious proportions. The fact that my sister, who had to be pulled from school for a few years, had succeeded and become a mayor of our hometown made me happier than I'd thought was possible.

 **{=DITM=}**

 **TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17** **th** **1998**

"Eleazar, my man! How's it hangin'?" I shook his hand. "I like what you've done with the crib."

He laughed. "I see you're embracing the lingo of the decade."

"Gotta keep up with the times, dude."

"We're constantly tellin' him to tone it down," Jasper commented as he came up behind me and offered his hand to Eleazar. "Nice to meet you. I'm Jasper." Alice bounded up to us and ducked under Jasper's arm. "And this little elf is my better half, Alice."

Eleazar smiled. "A pleasure. Quite a power couple the two of you are. A pathokinetic warrior and a clairvoyant. Very impressive. I wouldn't want to face the two of you in a fight."

Jasper grinned widely. "No, I doubt you would. But I hear I'm not the only one with a sensational resume. A former Volturi guard, no less."

I removed myself as the conversation between my brother and friend steered into a direction I was less interested in and wandered over to where Kate and Rosie were talking.

The two had become very close our first time in Alaska, closer than my wife was with any of the other sisters, and the irony of it, considering how they acted the first time they met, wasn't lost on me. But they were also talking about things I didn't care for, so I ended up sitting next to Edward in the sitting area where he was alone.

As I sank deep into the couch, I noticed how Tanya constantly, and not very subtly, looked at my brother, and I hit him on the arm to get his attention.

"Ow, what'd you do that for?"

" _Are you going to talk to her or not?"_ I thought as I saw it unnecessary and cruel to talk about Tanya when she could hear us.

Edward glanced in Tanya's direction, and then hit me right back. "Will you stop?"

"What?"

"It's none of your business, so could you back off?" He was obviously irritated with me.

" _You like her, don't you?"_

"Not in that way and you know it. I've already told you that."

" _What's the problem? She likes you, you don't think she's horrible, and you're both old-ass vampires. Why don't you give it a shot?"_

"You know why." He huffed and turned his back to me.

" _I'm not talking about mating with her for the rest of eternity. What's the issue with letting off some steam with her? God knows you need it."_

He glared at me. "I don't get it. Why do you care?"

" _Because then maybe you wouldn't be so cranky all the time."_

As he stood up and walked off, his words let me know I'd hurt him more than I thought. "Go to hell, Emmett." He disappeared out the front door, and everyone in the house turned to look at me and waited for an explanation for his sudden departure.

Without saying a word, I started after him to apologize, and Jasper tagged along. Maybe it would be good to have a proper talk between brothers, and maybe, between the three of us, we could come up with a solution that made it possible for us to talk about stuff like this without it turning into a fight.

I knew Esme would appreciate that, and Carlisle, too.

We found Edward pacing in the forest, far enough away from the house to keep anyone from hearing what was said, and after taking a deep breath, we walked over to him.

As I was the one who caused it, I was the one who started talking. "I'm sorry, man. I didn't mean any disrespect."

He grimaced. "Funny because that's exactly what it felt like." He lightly punched a tree, but what was deemed lightly to us still left a mark on the bark. "Don't you guys understand that my loneliness is already blatantly obvious to me without you always pointing it out? And that 'letting off steam', as you put it, isn't an option because, according to my personal values, it's wrong?"

Jasper gave me a questioning glare since he hadn't heard the entire conversation between me and Edward. His expression told me he thought I'd acted like a dickhead.

"Dude, I'm sorry," I said again. "I just don't see what the big deal is. Why hold so tight onto values that matter squat in this decade? We're vampires. The normal rules don't exactly apply to us. No one can expect an immortal man to remain a virgin until he meets the one. And who even knows how long that could take? A year? A decade? Another century?"

"It's not about the sex," Edward growled and bared his teeth, but Jasper calmed him down again. "I couldn't care less about that," he continued, much less hostile. "To me, being intimate with a woman is a special experience you should only share with the one you love. Is it wrong of me to feel that way?"

Before I could answer, Jasper stepped in.

"No, Edward, of course it's not wrong. Emmett's just being a little thickheaded at the moment, and I'm sure he'll even admit that himself"—I nodded—"but at the same time, he's only trying to help. In his own way. I can feel his intentions, remember?"

Edward met my look, and I gave him another apologetic smile and a half-shrug.

"I'm just looking out for my brother," I said, and finally, he cracked his own smile and shook his head.

"I appreciate that, but in the future … please, don't."

The three of us shared a good laugh before we started back toward the house.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Thoughts?

We got to see Emmett in a few different situations there!

Talk about making that sales clerk's day, right? And how do you feel about what happened to Bea? I paired her with Emmett's former friend Jack because in my head, Jack was always a little bit interested in Bea, but he was also scared of being punched in the face by Emmett.

I can promise you, Gavin and Ian made him prove himself worthy though ;-)

And then we got the Denali clan again! Emmett really do mean well, but I'm sure anyone with an overbearing sibling can sympathize with Edward here :-P

Anyway, next week, I'm gonna give you both the last chapter and the epilogue, so …

Until next week,

Stay Awesome!


	26. Chapter 25 Aug 1st 2003 - Jan 18th 2005

**A/N:**

I do believe a whole lot of you will recognize the second half of this chapter!

 **Title:** Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

 **Author:** MarieCarro

 **Beta:** Alice's White Rabbit

 **Pre-reader:** BitterHarpy

 **Genre:** Family/Supernatural

 **Rating:** NC-17

 **Summary:** Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 25**

 **FRIDAY, AUGUST 1** **st** **2003 - TUESDAY, JANUARY 18** **th** **2005**

"It definitely needs a lot of work, but school doesn't start up for another month or so. I'm certain we can have it all done by then."

"At least, the foundation is solid and won't need replacing," Esme said as she inspected the three-story house we'd bought on the outskirts of a quaint little town called Forks in the northern parts of Washington.

When we drove into town, I'd been hit with a sudden sense of familiarity, even though I knew I'd never been in the town in my entire life, yet I couldn't shake it. Edward was the one who reminded me of why it was so familiar.

"Carlisle, wasn't it around these parts we encountered the wolves?"

"Wolves?" Jasper asked. "What wolves?"

"Last time we lived in Washington State, we encountered a small pack of werewolves who came from the local native tribe—the Quileutes," Carlisle explained, and Jasper gave him a wide-eyed, and somewhat terrified, stare.

"Werewolves? The real deal with the full moon and their immunity to our venom?"

I don't think I'd ever seen Jasper acting afraid for real.

Carlisle hurriedly reassured him. "No, not _real_ werewolves in that sense. These actually look like wolves. I think shape-shifter is a more accurate name for them, but they see themselves as werewolves, even though they're not nearly as dangerous to us."

Jasper visibly relaxed while Alice looked deep in thought.

"Was this when you lived in Hoquiam?" she asked.

"Yes, why?"

"It's just strange I never had a vision of this encounter."

I shrugged, not overly concerned. "Maybe it wasn't a life and death situation, and it wouldn't have affected your future in any way. They were pretty tame."

"Yeah, maybe."

"We went into a treaty with them," Carlisle continued. "They were very civilized and cooperated well enough. The spot where we met is on the other side of town."

"So why are we here?" Jasper pushed. "If we have known enemies here, why did we move to Forks?"

"It was sixty-six years ago. I've never heard of immortal shape-shifters, and that means the wolves we met are most likely dead by now." Carlisle gestured toward the trees surrounding us. "The tribe used to take care of the entire forest around town, but now they only have a small reservation called La Push. As long as we stay away from there, I think we're as safe as we can be."

Jasper shook his head vehemently and visibly tightened his hold on Alice's hand. "That doesn't answer my question. Why did you choose this place?"

"The Northern Peninsula is one of the cloudiest and wettest places in America. If there's ever a place where I believe we can live a life as normal as possible, then it would be here."

Carlisle's words had the desired effect. Rosie instantly got on his side.

"Just let it go, Jasper," she said. "We've already bought the house and enrolled in the school. We can't just up and leave now. Besides, I'm with Carlisle. I'm sure the wolves are dead by now."

The sound of an engine turning onto the winding dirt road leading to our new house interrupted our discussion, and all of us instinctively turned to Edward and Alice to see if they knew who was coming.

"A man, but I don't know who," Edward said. "His thoughts are very obscured."

"The Chief of Police," Alice filled in. "His name is Charles Swan, and he's here to welcome us to the town. Apparently, our arrival gave quite a stir, and he feels it's his duty to check us out."

"I would have been surprised if our arrival hadn't alerted the police." Carlisle sighed and looked at our new cars parked on the lawn. They weren't exactly the type of vehicles that blended in, except for maybe the Volvo Edward bought as his "everyday car".

I also looked at our new toys, specifically my new Jeep, and grinned. I would have a lot of fun in that one. However, we didn't have a place to park them yet. We'd have to build a huge garage to fit them all as we'd splurged quite a lot this time.

The car that drove onto our driveway was a police cruiser, and the man who ducked out of it was tall, dark-haired, and in his early forties. He had a no-nonsense expression, and I could understand humans would have respect for someone like him.

"Can I help you with something, Officer?" Carlisle called to him in a loud tone and gave him a welcoming, closed-mouth smile.

Charles offered Carlisle his hand, and only the slightest twitch of his arm told me he was shocked by the difference in their temperatures. Otherwise, his face remained unchanged. "Dr. Cullen, I assume. I'm Chief Charlie Swan, and I just wanted to welcome you to our town and formally introduce myself."

"Pleased to meet you," Carlisle replied politely, and then held out his hand for Esme to come forward. "This is my wife, Esme."

She gave Charlie a warm smile, and I had to bite my lip from laughing when the smallest of flushes colored the chief's cheeks. However, my amusement quickly died down when I saw Jasper tense up from the corner of my eye.

Subtly, I shifted my weight so I was halfway standing in between the blushing human and my brother, who still struggled with his control at times. It wouldn't be in our best interest if something were to happen to the chief just hours after our arrival. If that didn't scream suspicious, I didn't know what did.

"And the others are our kids. Adopted, of course, but we still see them as our children," Carlisle continued as if nothing had happened, but he'd been aware of Jasper tensing up as much as the rest of us.

The chief gave us a nod, and we offered our own hellos back while trying to embrace the mannerisms of teenagers of this day.

"Well, I need to head back to the station, but as I said, I wanted to welcome you to Forks, and I hope you'll like our small town," he said and turned back to his cruiser.

Carlisle waved at him. "Absolutely. Thank you so much, Chief Swan. I'm sure we'll find Forks very pleasant."

 **{=DITM=}**

I threw Jasper a stink-eye across the lunch table in the school cafeteria, but he wasn't looking at me. He was too preoccupied with concentrating on his control around all the pubescent teenagers we were surrounded by.

Naturally, I felt sympathy for him and what he had to endure all day, every day of school with all the hormonal emotions of teenagers and their inability to control their changing sweat glands, which enhanced their scents, but I was also miffed that he'd once again beaten me in last night's wrestling match. Somehow, despite all I did to control my emotions during a fight, he still upped me, and it annoyed me to no end.

I was tempted to challenge him to a rematch even before school had let out, but Rosie would have my head if I were the least bit responsible for our family having to move because of exposure or suspicion. She liked Forks as much as she could like any place, and even more so because there were less sunny days and, like Carlisle said, we could actually claim to be normal.

Of course, it had been impossible to escape the rumors, and it hadn't made it better that we made no effort in denying them since we didn't interact with the humans at all. The only ones who actually socialized outside of the family were Carlisle and Esme, and I believe that was what saved us.

As I continued to cast glances in my tense brother's direction, I noticed his fist clenching harder than before, and when Edward kicked the leg of his chair, I understood he'd let his imagination run a little bit too wild.

Jasper's ability made him even more in tune with the humans than the rest of us. If they were hungry or thirsty, it translated into him feeling more thirst himself, and that was why he had a harder time with our all-animal diet. It didn't help when he could also feel our thirst—none of us had hunted for about two weeks now—and Carlisle had told him repeatedly that he could stay at home if he wanted to, but his need to stay close to Alice, and also challenging himself, eliminated that option for him.

He claimed he could control his ability enough to shut off parts of it so he didn't have to feel the full effect of our, or the humans, emotions, but it was clear he was still struggling.

Edward exchanged a look with him, and Jasper looked down at the table in shame while muttering out an apology.

"You weren't going to do anything. I could see that," Alice murmured to him, but even I could hear the lie, and if I could, so could he. "It helps a little if you think of them as people," she continued and gave him the advice she'd given him before. "Her name is Whitney. She has a baby sister she adores. Her mother invited Esme to that garden party, do you remember?"

"I know who she is," Jasper replied briskly and turned away to stare out the windows. His tone ended the conversation.

Alice sighed silently, having heard the end of the conversation in his tone, and stood to throw away her untouched tray of food before heading to class. She could tell he wanted to be left alone. So did the rest of us, so I dropped the thought of a rematch for now, as I didn't want to continue poking that particular sleeping bear.

I tried to find something in the room to occupy my mind, but I was bored out of my mind. I turned to Rosie, but she was deep in her own thoughts.

"Jessica Stanley is giving the new Swan girl all the dirty laundry on the Cullen clan," Edward murmured to me, and I was thankful for the opportunity to shed some of my tediousness. I chuckled as I thought of what exaggerations Jessica Stanley, the town gossip and one of Edward's many rejects, could give the chief's recently returned daughter.

" _I hope she's making it good."_

"Rather unimaginative actually. Just the barest hint of scandal. Not an ounce of horror. I'm a little disappointed," Edward replied, just as well aware of Jessica's love of overstatements.

" _And the new girl?"_ I asked with a smirk. _"Is she disappointed in the gossip as well?"_

Edward concentrated for a moment and knitted his brows together, but he never answered me. The energy around him appeared confused, and he even looked toward Jessica's table again.

It was almost time for class, though, and before I could ask my brother what was up, Rosie made us aware of the clock.

"Shall we?" Her focus was mostly on me and Jasper as the three of us were taking senior classes and, therefore, heading in the same direction while Edward and Alice posed as juniors.

Edward turned back to us, still befuddled over something, so I asked again. "So, is the new one afraid of us yet?" All I got in reply was a shrug, and I suddenly felt as confounded as he looked.

What riddled my brother's mind wasn't something I felt like putting too much energy into though, and it had already taken a backseat in my mind as Jasper, Rosie, and I headed in the opposite direction of him.

"Jazz, what do you say about a rematch at home after school?" I beckoned him with both hands to taunt him a bit. "C'mon!"

Jasper felt much better as soon as we walked outside into the fresh and rain-filled air. "Last night _was_ your rematch. When are you going to accept that you can't beat me?"

"You have an unfair advantage," I reminded him. "So until I can surpass that, you'll have to deal."

He shook his head. "I'd rather not. Challenge Edward if you're itchin' for a fight."

"I would but he's been very boring lately, and he's got as much of an unfair advantage as you."

"Then go at Ros—"

"Don't even think about it," Rosie interrupted him before he could finish his sentence. "Keep me out of your games."

I put my arm around her and hugged her to my side for a moment and kissed her cheek. "Don't worry, babe. I'd rather do a different kind of wrestling with you."

Jasper opened the door to our building and held it open for us. "Just keep your lust to yourself for the rest of the day, okay? It's bad enough with all of these hormonal kids goin' around and droolin' over each other. I don't want to have to deal with the two of you as well."

The day was uneventful, as always, and when class ended, we all congregated in the parking lot by Edward's car, but he was, surprisingly enough, not there. He was almost always the first person out the door. The car was, however, unlocked, so we climbed inside and waited.

When he finally showed up, his expression was wild, and he was gasping, almost as if he'd been suffocated.

"Edward?" Alice asked, and there was alarm in her voice, so she had clearly not seen what had happened, and that worried all of us.

He shook his head with tightly clenched lips.

"What the hell happened to you?" I demanded. I wanted to know what had happened and whether my brother had been hurt or injured. It was the only thing I could come up with to explain his odd behavior.

Like in the cafeteria, he didn't answer me. He threw the car in reverse and sped out of the parking lot and onto the road toward home. Rosie, Jasper, and I turned to stare at Alice, hoping she could give us some answers, but she only shrugged before focusing on Edward and his future.

"You're leaving?" she whispered when she got something solid. We all turned to look at Edward instead.

"Am I?" he hissed, and the question made it clear he wasn't certain himself, but he was considering it.

Alice zoned out again. "Oh," she said, and then her features smoothed out completely and she repeated herself.

"Stop!" Edward groaned, having seen what she saw.

"Sorry," she whispered, her eyes wide. "I'll miss you," she said. "No matter how short a time you're gone."

Rosie and I exchanged an apprehensive glance. We had no idea what was going on, but it must have been something major for Edward to leave. We hadn't been around when he left Carlisle and Esme the first time, and his eyes were still as black as they had been earlier, so he hadn't slipped, but then, why was he leaving?

We were now close to home, and Alice told him to drop us off there. "You should tell Carlisle yourself."

He nodded and almost stood on the breaks to stop the car. The engine squealed, and Rosie flinched at the probable damage he'd caused it. We got out without asking the million questions we had, but Alice stayed another moment.

"You will do the right thing," she ordered him. "She's Charlie Swan's only family. It would kill him, too."

Her words cleared up some of the fog in my brain but not enough for me to really understand yet. It was about the new girl, Bella Swan, that much was obvious.

"Yes," he agreed, and Alice got out of the car as well. As we started for our house, Edward turned the car around toward the hospital.

I turned to Alice. "Could you be so kind and explain what the hell that was all about?"

She sighed, her eyes still full of anxiety for our brother. "The chief's daughter is Edward's singer."

* * *

 **A/N:**

That was the last chapter folks! Only the epilogue left, and guess what … yes, I uploaded it directly after this one, so you can already go read it!

Saving my big sappy thanks for that one ;-)


	27. Epilogue November 21st 2008

**A/N:**

Look at the date of this chapter. Anyone who remembers? ;-)

 **Title:** Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

 **Author:** MarieCarro

 **Beta:** Alice's White Rabbit

 **Pre-reader:** BitterHarpy

 **Genre:** Family/Supernatural

 **Rating:** NC-17

 **Summary:** Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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 **EPILOGUE**

 **FRIDAY,** **NOVEMBER** **21** **st** **2008**

I pretended I didn't hear Nessie sneaking up behind me because even though she'd gotten a lot better at being quiet and moved pretty much as silently as any vampire did, her heartbeat was a dead giveaway of her approach. I liked to play along though, and that was probably why she always went after me when she wanted to play.

Her arms were suddenly around my neck after she jumped up on my back and hung on tight.

"I'm under attack!" I exclaimed. "Quick! Someone … anyone! Help me!"

Nessie laughed in delight as I spun around, and she held on for dear life. Not that I would have ever allowed her to be tossed off. In that case, I would have caught her before she could have hurt herself.

She loosened her grip and jumped down to land on her feet, which wasn't too far down anymore. At two years old, Nessie looked more like an eight or nine-year-old, and she was only a foot shorter than her mother now. "Uncle Em, guess what?"

"What?"

"I asked Dad if I can go in the Jeep with you and Aunt Rose, and he said yes!" she said excitedly, and then climbed up on the back of the vehicle where Jasper's Ducati was strapped down.

Edward came out through the front door, carrying one end of his old leather sofa, which we were going to donate now that we were moving, while Bella held the other end behind him. "You're not standing on the back, Ness," he cautioned. "I said you'll sit in between them if you want to ride with them."

"But Dad—" Nessie started to complain, but Bella locked eyes with her daughter, and I took a huge proverbial step back from the conversation. I wasn't about to involve myself in disciplinary conversation between mother and daughter.

"Listen to your father, Renesmee," she said sternly. "Or you'll ride with us."

"Fine," Nessie replied defiantly with an attitude like I expected most kids her physical age had but I suspected was actually Nessie's terrible-two's phase I heard all children went through. However, now, my angel stepped in.

"Don't take that tone with your parents, Nessie," Rosie said and lifted her down from the Jeep. "They're only looking out for you."

Raising Nessie had become sort of a collective family matter, even though Edward and Bella always had the last word.

Nessie hung her head in shame. "Okay, Aunt Rose." She ran over to her parents and apologized, and once they were satisfied she was sincere, they allowed her to return to us.

Jacob came running down the porch steps and scooped her up before she reached us though, and Rosie grimaced slightly. He'd been living with us, almost full-time, since Nessie was born, and while the two of them got along where Nessie was concerned, that was the extent of their relationship.

"Just wait until you've grown up," he said as she smiled widely at him. "You can ride with me on my Harley."

Edward groaned. "Don't give her any ideas, Jake. It'll be a long time before Bella or I ever allow that."

"A really long time," Bella echoed in agreement.

Carlisle and Esme exited the house with Alice and Jasper in tow, and then they locked it up, the steel shutters lowering over the glass wall to protect it. "We're good to go," he said, and all of us got into our vehicles.

Bella hugged and kissed the top of Nessie's head before she allowed her to climb up in the Jeep with us, and then she got into the passenger seat of Edward's Vanquish. Her Ferrari had already been shipped to our new house, and Edward had decided to sell the Volvo as it was a few years old now.

Carlisle and Esme drove off first in the Mercedes, taking the lead, then Alice followed in her Porsche, and Edward after her. We made up the tail with Jacob on his bike right behind us.

"Are you excited about the new place?" I asked Nessie as we got out on the freeway, but the girl had gone strangely quiet. She shrugged noncommittally, and Rosie immediately picked up on the signs that something was wrong.

"What is it, sweetie? Something bothering you?" She grabbed Nessie's hand, and put it on her cheek as we'd realized Nessie preferred communicating that way when she was uncomfortable. "We're all going to be there with you," Rosie answered Nessie's unspoken question. "School can be scary, but you'll do fine. I promise."

I understood then what was worrying my little niece.

Because of her appearance, we had decided to take the chance and enroll her in elementary school in our next town because the advancement of her aging had slowed down considerably the last couple of months. We were still going to keep a close look to make sure no one got too suspicious, and we could easily claim to have sent Nessie to boarding school if she didn't want to continue, but we'd all agreed she needed to start learning to socialize with humans. The only one she'd ever been around was Charlie, and she didn't have to be as careful around him as he was sort of, kind of, in on the secret even though he still didn't exactly know what we were.

"You'll ace school, Nessie," I encouraged. "You're already smarter than most humans put together."

"But that's what scares me," she said, abandoning the silent conversation she had with Rosie. "What if I slip up and do something weird? Everyone will think I'm a freak."

Rosie and I exchanged uneasy looks.

"You'll just have to prove them wrong then," I told her, and then leaned down as if I were about to whisper a secret in her ear. "And if they still dare to mess with you, come to me and I'll make them think twice." I winked and she giggled.

Disaster effectively avoided.

We all knew we eventually would have to really explain to Nessie about the workings of being an outcast Cullen, but it was better if it came from her parents instead of us.

As the journey toward our new hometown continued, I taught Nessie a few car games to distract her from her nerves, and it became the craziest round of "I Spy" I'd ever played because we could all see so much more than humans could.

I looked over at Rosie next to me, and she was relaxing back against the seat, her elbow casually resting on the top of the door. A small, almost imperceptible, smile played around her lips as she listened to Nessie chatter away, and my dead heart clenched with the love I felt whenever I was looking at her.

Had someone told me when I was a kid that I would one day be married to a real life angel, I would have laughed in their face, but there was no arguing with them now. She was sitting right beside me, so cold toward others, but I knew her heart was filled to the brim with love she yearned to bestow on the most precious gift one could be given. She was feeling so much, yet she didn't always know how to let it out, and so she turned it in on herself.

With the addition of Nessie to our family, I had started to see a new side to my wife even I hadn't seen before but knew I would have if we'd been able to have kids of our own. She smiled more, was overall more relaxed, and appeared to be, if I dared say it, truly happy for the first time since I met her. It didn't matter Nessie wasn't ours because she was still a child Rosie could allow herself to fully love.

Being lucky was an understatement when talking about the fortune I had of being in her life because when Rosalie did let someone in, and she gave them love, she loved passionately. It was only one of the reasons why she and I worked so well together. We balanced each other out.

She was solemn where I was playful. She was sensitive while I wasn't easily offended. She was cautious, and I the opposite, unless I was given a good reason. We were both fiercely protective of those we loved, and we would fight for them without hesitancy. Complete opposites and a match few would believe worked, but we met in the middle, and for us, it was perfect.

We'd been together for over seventy years, but it had somehow felt like the blink of an eye. I would always look forward to the next seventy years with her, and the seventy after that. Because after all, she was my angel, and the destiny I found in the mountains.

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 **A/N:**

Okay, so naturally, the date of this chapter was Twilight's premiere in theaters, worldwide! 10 years before I started posting this story, too ;-)

So, for fun, if you went to the premiere, what was your experience?

I'll start, I remember literally shaking in my seat from excitement. The buildup to watching the movie became so much greater than the movie itself because I think a whole lot of you know that I found the movies rather disappointing. They had their golden moments, but they were few and far between.

Now I want to dedicate this part of the AN to my wonderful team of gals who've helped me on this.

First, to Jamie Michelle Mitchell aka **OnlyInValhalla** who kind of became my " **sounding board** " in the beginning and helped me with everything that concerned Emmett's time in Tennessee, as she's a Tennessee girl herself! Her knowledge was invaluable for this! The story, literally, wouldn't be the same without her.

Next to my **pre-reader** , Stephanie Smith Busbin aka **BitterHarpy**. She helped me find mistakes easily overlooked so that the flow of the story was so much better.

And lastly, to Sally Hopkinson aka **Alice's White Rabbit** , my lovely **beta**. I couldn't have asked for a better one for this story. She was always happy to help with whatever I needed, and she's so educational and patient with me when I make stupid mistakes since English isn't my first language.

Thank you so much, girls! Love you!

Of course, I also want to send out a huge thank you to you; my **readers** and **reviewers**! Without you, I wouldn't have been writing in the first place!

Don't forget to keep a lookout for other installments of the Origin series, if you'd like to read my interpretation of the Cullens' stories. Put me on alert, and I'll see you then!

Until that time,

Stay Awesome!


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